The Shadowbender
by Goldeath
Summary: Set in the beginning of Book 2.  Loki, Aang's longtime friend, is found trapped under the Northern Water Tribe.  What will happen now that they have a new friend?  My first story, but flames are as welcome as anythin' else.  TophxOC.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

He breathed in fresh air for the first time in one hundred years. He couldn't open his eyes yet, but he knew full well what he would see. Aang, his closest friend, had come at last.

Suddenly, the dry ice around him cracked and then shattered, and his eyes opened. Aang and two unknown people stood around him, their eyes wide. He didn't know how to react, or what to say, so he simply stood up and waited, his white skin glistening with water.

One of the people, a girl dressed in Southern Water Tribe garb, spoke uneasily. "Who are you?" she asked him tentatively.

"My name is Loki," he said. "I'm a bender."

Another person spoke, a young man with a boomerang strapped to his back, but this time to Aang. "How do you know this guy?" he asked him. "Why did we come to get him anyway? Isn't this just a waste of time?"

"No, it isn't," Aang said fiercely. He then turned towards Loki with a warm smile on his face. "This guy is like family to me. And to say that he isn't important... is the greatest understatement of all time."


	2. The Labyrinth Pt1

_**Ya'll ready for the first chapter? Awesome! A'ight, heeere we-. Oh shit, wait. Disclaimer! Sokka, you're doin' it today. My fingers are too tired.**_

_**Sokka: *mumbles*Slave driver.**_

_**Me: What was that, you Mexican?**_

_**Sokka: N-nothing. And I am not a Mexican!**_

_**Me: Sure you aren't. Just do the damn disclaimer.**_

_**Sokka: Goldeath doesn't own Avatar, but he wishes he did.**_

_**Me: Damn straight. Now on with the story! **_

_**Chapter 1: The Labyrinth Pt.1**_

I woke up for the third time tonight in a cold sweat. Looking around our makeshift camp, I blew out a long sigh. I had been traveling with Aang, Katara, and Sokka for a week now, and I had been having nightmares every night since I was rescued. It wasn't helping the insomnia I've had all my life, so might just give up on sleeping altogether... again. Suddenly, I heard a rustling next to me, and Katara got up, blinking sleep from her eyes. "Are you alright, Loki?" she asked me.

"I'm fine," I replied. "I'm gonna watch the camp for the rest of the night. Just go back to sleep- you need your rest."

Katara smiled. "Alright then," she said, and lied back down.

One white eye and one black eye watched the inky darkness around him until the sun rose.

* * *

><p>"Aargh!" I shouted, spitting water out of my mouth.<p>

"You know, you should stop trying to drown yourself and try to catch the fish with the spear," Katara laughed.

I blushed out of embarassment. Picking up the spear, I quickly stabbed three fish and brought them back to camp.

We were heading to Omashu so Aang and I could find an Earthbending teacher. Seeing as Omashu was one of the last Earthbending kingdoms (as well as Ba Sing Se), it would be the ideal place to find an master Earthbender.

As we were walking back, Katara asked me "Why do _you_ need an Earthbending teacher? I thought only Aang could learn all 4 elements."

I wasn't comfortable answering that question fully yet, so I answered in a roundabout way. "I would like to try. After all," I grinned toothily. "I do view myself as special."

Katara smiled, and went to wake Katara and Aang. Putting the fish over the fire, I smiled. According to Aang, I would finally be able to see Bumi, my crazy old friend, again. To say I was excited was an understatement.

Aang walked out of his tent just as the fish were done cooking.

"Are you ready?" he asked, smiling. He looked towards the mountains, beyond which were Omashu. "We finally get to learn Earthbending."

"I've rarely seen you so excited, Aang. But don't let it get to your head. We still have to get through the mountains."

"What do you mean?" asked Aang. "We're going over them."

"That's not what they suggest," I said, pointing behind me. Aang peered over my shoulder, and recoiled instantly. "What the heck-?"

He finally realized that we had hippie musicians for company.

"Hey, don't blame us ," one of them said. He sounded like a stoner. "We just go where the wind takes us."

"Wind my-."

"Oh, hello," Katara said, coming up behind me and slapping me upside the head. Sokka walked out behind her, staring wide-eyed at the travelers. "How can we help you guys?"

"There's no way you _can_ help them, Katara," I said bluntly.

"I agree with Loki," agreed Sokka. "They're too far gone."

"Shut up, both of you!" exclaimed Katara, while Aang and I laughed.

"Naw, man," the 'leader' said. "We just want to go through the mountains. Y'all can't go over 'em because the Fire Nation's waiting for people just like you, with their tankers and their blimps."

"Oh, then so do we! D'you want to come with us?" Aang asked.

"Hell no!" Sokka and I said in unison.

"Sure, man", the leader said, smiling widely.

Sokka facepalmed. "Damnit," I said. "Oh well, we tried."

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes later, we were at the entrance to the tunnels to Omashu.<p>

"It's called the Tunnel of Two Lovers," the hippie musician said.

"Do I even want to know?" I asked.

Ignoring me, the hippie continued. "Legend says that there were two lovers ("Obviously," I grumbled) who used these tunnels to meet in secret. Anybody who was bold enough to follow them were trapped in the tunnels... forever!" He paused dramatically. "Only those who trust in love (I saw Aang secretly glance at Katara) will be able to get through."

"Well, that's not that... wait," I stopped, my suspiscion growing. "Did you just say _tunnels_?"

"Yeah, a _labyrinth_ of tunnels," he said cheerily. "It's so they could never be found, ya know?"

Sokka nearly threw a fit. "What the hell? There's no way we're going-."

"Come on," Katara said, grabbing Sokka's ear and pulling him towards the tunnel. "Let's get going."

Aang and I looked at each other and shrugged, as everybody started into the giant cave.

And the first thing I noticed was that it was pitch-black.

I stood perfectly still while everybody around me stumbled around, searching for a wall. Suddenly, a fire flared up, and the hippie was seen holding a torch.

A heartbeat later, we heard a loud rumbling near the entrance of the tunnel. Rocks fell over the opening, but not before we saw Fire Nation tankers backing away. Well, at least we know where that problem came from.

Aang soon asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "How many of those torches do you have?"

"About ten. They each burn for about 2 hours so that makes about..." he paused for a couple of minutes. "Twenty hours total."

I snorted. "Took ya long enough. Alright, so we'll split 'em up. You guys," I said, pointing to the group of musicians "will take 4 torches, because y'all are the biggest group. Sokka, you go with them," I smiled at his priceless expression.

"Aang, you go with Katara," I said as Aang's face lit up "and I'll go alone. I'm not entirely defenseless, so I'll take care of myself."

Aang looked around. "Be careful everybody," he said. "We'll meet up at the end of the tunnel." He then turned with Katara and disappeared into the darkness.

Sokka sighed. "Oh well," he said. "Might as well get this shit over with." He gestured towards the musicians, and they also left.

"That's the spirit!" I yelled after him. He flipped me the bird.

I smiled. Turning around, I looked into the tunnel I was going into. "Oooh boy," I sighed, and I walked in.


	3. The Labyrinth Pt2

_**Next chapter to **_**The Shadowbender**_** is here (finally)! Hope y'all like it, 'cause I worked like a mofo tryin' to get this out. Also, this part is gonna be entirely in Loki's POV, so sorry if that disappoints some of you. A'ight, enough with all this bullshit, let's read somethin' worth readin'.**_

_**Chapter 2: Labyrinth Pt.2**_

"Damn, I didn't know it was _this _dark," I said aloud. My eyes, one black with a white pupil and one white with a black pupil, gleamed in the darkness. They swiveled left to right, continually searching for something dangerous. But I was a Shadowbender- I was alert to the point of paranoia. I wouldn't be caught unawares if I could help it.

Picking up a slight noise to my right, I whipped my head in that direction and tilted it, trying to hear it better.

"Those men don't know who they're dealing with, talking to me like that," said a feminine voice from a distance. With that voice came a light, a torch, small when seen from afar . "They and they're families ought to be executed for disrespect."

My first thought: _That is some fucked up shit._

My second thought was due to curiosity: _I need to find out who that is... now._

I walked towards the growing light, sure she couldn't see me. In this cave, I had the greatest advantage: night vision. Getting closer, I noticed that it _was_ a girl, a Firebender by the look of her clothes. That's when I noticed the royal accessory in her hair, and it was then when I nearly jumped out of shock. It was Azula, the Fire Lord's daughter, and a Firebending prodigy.

Running wasn't my thing, so I did what could probably be described as the most retarded move ever. "Boo!" I yelled, right behind her.

"AAAAHHHH!" she shrieked, turning this way and that to find out who had scared her. I couldn't hold in a small chuckle at her priceless reaction, and her eyes locked on me. I stared back unflinchingly, my eyes shining.

"Who the hell are you, and what do you think you're doing?" Azula screamed at me, a fire starting to burn in her hand.

"Why I'm just sayin' hello, Azula," I said, slightly amused at the small bit of fear in her eyes. "My name is Loki, and as to what I'm doin', I'm just walkin' by. Decided to have a little fun, seeing you stumbling around and all. Besides, you looked quite lonely. You were even talkin' to yourself!"

"What I say is none of your business! Get ready to die for your insolence!" She rushed towards me, fireball in hand, dropping her torch on the ground.

A fatal mistake. The torch went out as soon as it hit the earth, making the only source of light in the tunnel Azula's fireball.

When she reached where I was supposed to be, I wasn't there. I was behind her, knocking her off her feet with a leg sweep. She recovered quickly, backflipping several times to get out of range. Azula cut gouges in the wall and lit them with Firebending, allowing her to see me clearly. I, on the other hand, was repeatedly blinking my eyes, trying not to let them overload with the sudden influx of light.

"Weak in the light, aren't ya?" she mocked, charging lightning around her hands.

I smiled and winked at her. "Naw. I'm just getting ready." And with that I charged, leaving an footprint in the hard rock beneath me. Appearing at her left, I conjured up three arrows made fom the shadows and hurled them at her. Azula leaped over, twisting her body to dodge the last one, and sent twin bolts of lightning my way. I sidestepped them both, _seeing_ them distort the air where I was standing not a heartbeat before.

"Ah, playing rough now, are we?" I chided.

"No. I'm just getting ready." She spit three fireballs from her mouth, and followed up with a quick slash of fire. I marveled at the blue color, knowing it must be hotter than normal, and dodged the fireballs with little effort. With the crescent of fire still coming at me, I did a quick slashing motion with my hands, and a crescent of air cut her attack in half. She stared at me wide-eyed.

"You Airbend as well?" she said incredulously.

I sighed. "Yes. Now enough with the talk. Are we gonna fight or gossip like two schoolgirls?"

Azula smirked. "I think you already know the answer." She inhaled deeply and blew out a torrent of fire like a flamethrower. I ran at it, whirling air around me as I did so. Jumping into the flames headfirst, I spun like a top, slicing right through the fire. I was in Azula's face in seconds, punching her stomach, then axe-kicking her to the ground. She rolled away before I could stomp on her, landing in a crouch a couple feet away. Another lightning bolt was shot at me, and I dodged it, but doing so made me run into Azula's flaming kick, and I staggered to the ground. A smirk now adorned her face, and as she got ready to attack, I did the only thing I could think of.

I screamed.

It was an rattling shriek that blasted her up into the ceiling. I watched with relief as she slid down the wall, semi-conscious. Towering over her slumped form, I sighed.

"A tip, for your sake. Always keep in mind that your opponent will have something up their sleeve. You never know what they might bring to the table. Next time... be prepared." With that, I walked off into the darkness once again.

After about 5 minutes of searching, I finally found an exit.

"Haha, freedom, ya bastards!" I yelled triumphantly. "Believe in love, my ass! I just had a fight!" Suddenly, the exit was blocked by a slab of rock. I facepalmed. "Fine, I take it back. Love is everything and without love, you can't survive." The slab of rock moved. "Thank you."

"Loki, you're alright!" Katara yelled, rushing over to hug me.

My eye twitched. "Of course I'm alright! What, did you want me dead or somethin'?"

"No, you know that. Anyway, how did you defend yourself, Loki? Aang and I heard screaming and an explosion."

"Yeah, I've been wondering the same thing," Sokka said as he bid the traveling musicians goodbye. "Spill. Now."

"I never did tell you what I could bend, did I?" Everybody shook their heads except for Aang, who was smiling encouragingly. "Well, I'm a Shadowbender, which means I can bend darkness to my will. I'm also an Airbender and a Waterbender. I'm proficient in all of them to the point where I can Soundbend, the last form of Airbending, and Gravitybend, the last form of Shadowbending. I'm a good hand-to-hand combatant as well as a decent military strategist. Does that clear things up?"

To say they looked bewildered was an understatement.

"Yeah," Katara muttered. "It does. Thanks..."

Sokka shook his head. "Alright. While that's rolling around in my head, let's go see Omashu. It's only over these... oh no." Sokka broke off as he stared at what used to be the great Earth Kingdom. Now a Fire Nation flag was mounted on its walls, smoke billowing from pipes and holes.

"Guys, we have to go find out what happened!" Aang yelled, a hint of panic in his voice. I knew he was worried about Bumi. "Come on! Yip yip!"

As we flew off towards Omashu, I looked back at the mouth of the tunnel.

_What did you do, Azula?_

_**From my point of view, this is the best chapter I've done so far. It took me a helluva lot of time to type up this crap, so y'all better review! Or else I'll make Loki hunt you down. Believe me, you don't want that. Speaking of which, I need to make a few clarifications. I made Soundbending up because I thought that Airbending needed its own final form. Ya know how for Waterbending, it's Bloodbending, and for Earthbending, it's Metalbending? Well, here's Soundbending: take it, feel it, love it. Also, Shadowbending as well as Gravitybending is somethin' I made up, too. If you wondered why the title is **_**The Shadowbender**_**,**__**now you know. **_

_**Remember, review please!**___


	4. The Ruins of Omashu

_**New chapter, y'all! I got a good review last chapter and I practically jumped for joy. Keep it up, guys! If I have to write more fight scenes, I will do so gladly. Anyway, here's the newest chapter: **_**The Ruins of Omashu.**_** Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 3: The Ruins of Omashu**_

"Tell me why we're walkin' through a sewer again," I said, trying to block out the pungent smell.

"We need to get into Omashu," Aang said. "We can't just walk in through the front gate anymore. There is no other way. Believe me, I've looked."

I simply shook my head while Aang led us through the dank sewer, Airbending the the water (even though I don't think I could call it that anymore) away from him while Katara Waterbent it towards me who bent it to Sokka who got a face full of the foul liquid.

When we reached the manhole opening, Sokka popped his head up to look for passing gaurds, then had gone up to the surface, gesturing at us to follow him. We all climbed out of the sewer, breathing in big gulps of clean air. Katara glanced at Sokka, and failed at suppressing a chuckle at what she saw.

"What?" Sokka asked, confused. "Do I have something on me?" He then noticed the suckers attached to his face and neck. "AAAGGHHH! Get 'em off of me!"

"Hold still, then," Aang said. He then tickled the little creatures until they got off of Sokka, leaving tiny red dots in their place.

"Ah, thanks," Sokka said relieved. "Damn critters. Something's always attaching to me."

"Maybe they just- hide Aang NOW!" I saw a trio of gaurds coming towards us. Putting a red cap on Aang, we hid him behind us just as the guards approached.

"What are you kids doing out past curfew?" one guard asked suspisciously.

"We're sorry, sir," Katara said. "We were just heading home." We started to walk away without any trouble, until the guard asked "What's wrong with that guy?"

Knowing they meant Sokka, Katara thought fast."He has Pentapox, sir. It's very contagious... and deadly!" The girl was smart, I'll give her that. I nudged Sokka a bit, and he started stumbling and drooling, acting really sick.

"Uugh, it _huuuurrts_. I feel like I'm _dyiiing_." He stumbled towards the guards and they backed up a couple of feet.

"W-we better get going!" the guards stammered. "We have to wash our hands... and burn our clothes!" With that, they ran off.

"Nice, Katara," Aang said. Katara blushed at the sudden praise.

I rolled my eyes at the scene in front of me, and broke them out of their trance. "Hey, shouldn't we be finding Bumi now?" I started walking. "Let's go."

For the next twenty minutes, we walked around Omashu looking for the Earth King. We had no idea where we were gong, and I don't think Aang did either. He finally stopped on a ledge overlooking the main road.

"Aang, it's alright," I said. "We just have to look harder."

Aang sighed. "Yeah, I know." Then he paused. "Hey, look down there." He pointed up at the ledge above us. Rocks, no, _boulders_ were positioned on the edge while Earthbenders waited behind them. We looked towards the main road and watched, shocked, as a Fire Nation woman and her two children, a baby boy and a young woman, passed into the boulders' range. '_They're aiming for them,'_ I thought.

Suddenly, the boulders were blasted from their positions and they hurtled down towards the family, gaining momentum with each passing second.

"Aang..." I said slowly.

"I know!" he yelled, and he blasted the boulders off course with a giant gust of wind.

The mother looked up, saw us ,and screamed "The Resistance!". Three guards appeared from around the corner, ready to accost us. That wasn't gonna happen if I could help it. A whip of darkness formed at my fingertips, and I cracked the tip of it against the first guard's head, knocking him out. Turning to the other guard, I wrapped the whip around his neck, then threw him on the other guard, knocking them over the cliff. Just as I was about to turn around, a blade nicked my neck, and I hissed. I turned, and the young woman we saw earlier was right in front of us, knives in one hand and senbon needles in the other.

'_What kind of fuckin' ninja is this?' I thought incredulously. _But I had no time to think about an answer because a heartbeat later, we running through Omashu, her on our tails and dodging attacks as fast as we could. Suddenly, Aang stopped and turned around, facing our assailant. He whipped up agust of wind that knocked a nearby scaffold in her path, then raced back to catch up. So imagine my facial expression when she simply jumped over the mess like it was nothing and sent _twice _as many daggers our way.

"Split up!" I yelled, and ran down an alley while the others raced towards a side street. The girl paused for a minute, and I wondered which one of us she would follow. The answer came a second later when she raced down the alley I was in, trying to catch up.

"Alright, fuck this!" I said with venom. "I'm damn near tired of running!" I launched a shadowy ball at her, it slamming into her with enough force to propel her back a few feet.

"That was just a taste," I hissed. "Do ya want more?"

The girl smiled coldly. "Of course. I haven't had fun like this in a _long_ time. What is your name? Mine is Mai."

"Loki. Now, let us begin." I took my hair out, letting it fall to my thighs. Its black and silver color glowed in the lamplight while my face took on a more sinister look. Shaking my hand three times, I produced three knives of shadow and threw them with tremendous force. It was difficult for her to dodge, as one sliced her cheek and another cut her arm. Nevertheless, she recovered from the assault and threw six knives of her own towards me, hoping to slice my face open.

I wasn't gonna let that happen. Going through a hand motion, I collected the shadows into a shield harder than steel. I couldn't raise it in time, so one sliced me down my cheek as I leaned back trying to avoid it. The others clattered to the floor as the shield stopped their advances, so I then threw my shield at Mai like a disk, speeding it up with a gust of wind. She hopped over it, the shield just barely grazing her ankle, and she peppered me with needles. But I still had something up my sleeve. A curse.

Bonebending.

My arm distorted and formed a shield, effectively blocking the hail of needles. It then returned to normal, leaving me unharmed and Mai with a bewildered look on her face.

"And I thought I had seen everything," Mai said in amazement. "What just happened?"

"It's called Bone Skin, an affliction very few people have, thankfully. It turns your skin pure white, and you gain the ability to contort your body to be whatever you want it to be. However, people shunned me for this, and that's why I also consider it a curse, as well as a blessing."

"Hmm, alright. I've had enough fun for tonight," Mai said, turning away. "Mother will be worried about me."

A tic mark appeared on my forehead. "So you attacked us for no apparent reason other than to have _fun_?" I cracked a smile. "I like your style, even though I feel like stranglin' you right now." Striking a thinking pose, I thought about something for a moment. "You do look like the masochist type, after all," I finally said, grinning widely.

Mai blushed a deep crimson. "Sh-shut up!" she said desperately. She started walking back the way she came, albeit a little quickly

I wasn't gonna let it go that easy, though. "Oh, you must be one of them _masochistic_ ninjas!" I yelled at her retreating back.

She blushed a deeper crimson, and turned around just enough to give me a death glare. "Shut...up," Mai said, embarrassed. She then raced away, leaping over the low rooftops.

I grinned a shit-eating grin, and went to find somewhere to sleep. Finding a nice pile of hay in an alley, I curled up and went to sleep. My eyes were open the whole time, my grin still in place.

* * *

><p>I woke up as soon as the sun hit my face, and I guessed it was noon by the position of it. Yawning and stretching, I popped my bones back into place, getting ready for another fight. It was then I heard the yelling and the explosions. '<em>Why do I feel like I'm gettin' someone else's deja vu?' <em>I shook my head. It didn't matter. What matters now is finding that fight.

I jumped onto a roof and started running. I could see it now, dust and smoke at the construction site. Suddenly, I saw a burst of azure fire, and I grinned a mad grin. She was back.

I doubled my pace, which means I was there in about a couple of minutes. Appa had just blasted Mai and a girl wearing a sickening amount of pink (shudder) over the side. '_Air bison for the win!'_ I thought with a smile. I looked up and Katara was trying to get on Appa without much luck. I ran up to her.

"What happened to your arms?" I asked her.

"The girl in the pink, Ty Lee, jabbed at my arms and suddenly I couldn't bend anymore," She looked downwards, ashamed. "Now, I'm even having trouble moving them! I feel useless."

"Here," I said, lifting her into Appa's saddle with Sokka. "Take care of her, Sokka."

He smiled. "You don't have to tell me that. I can-."

"Go!"

Sokka grinned. "Oh, you must be one of them _impatient_-."

"GO!" I practically yelled.

"Alright, alright, don't get your hair in a knot," he said, holding his eardrums. "Yip, yip!" Appa took off.

And I went to search for Aang.

* * *

><p>As soon as I reached the ground, I saw the two people I was looking for: Azula and Aang. Running down one of the ramps that twisted around Omashu, I chased Azula as she chased Aang and... what appeared to be a giant coffin. Weird.<p>

Looking back on this, I'll say that this is the dumbest shit I've ever done. But now, it seemed like a good idea. "Azula!" I yelled, getting her attention. She tensed up at the sound of my voice, and turned her head slightly to glare at me, never losing sight of Aang.

"You," she hissed.

I grinned. "Yes. Me." And I leaped towards Azula, barreling into her and knocking us both over the edge of the ramp. She landed on a roof while I landed face-up on the ground.

Azula immediately jumped up and shot a bolt of lightning at me. "What do you want, Loki?" she yelled.

I dodged the lightning bolt and smiled at her. "Why, I just want to say hi again, lovely lady."

A light pink dusted her cheeks. '_Damn, she must not get enough of that.' _I nearly laughed at my own comment, instead cracking a small smile.

"Shut up and fight!" Azula screamed, throwing several fireballs that actually managed to scorch me. As I was swatting out the flames, wincing at the severe burns, she blew a firestorm my way, incinerating everything in its path.

"Fine, let's play rough." I created a several dozen shadow arrows and launched them towards the inferno, thinning it down to a manegable size. Leaping backwards, shadows collected on my fingers, and I slashed downwards with both arms, creating two huge,shadowy claws that hurtled towards Azula at an amazing speed. It decimated the rest of the flames and struck Azula square in the chest, sending her a couple of yards back. She was breathing heavily, her clothes ripped and her heartbeat erratic. My wounds had started to bleed, but I didn't care.

"You want to end this? Fine,"she said, and she released the biggest lightning bolt I had ever seen towards my heart.

Now, I knew the basics of redirecting lightning, but I had never tried it. And it seems for good reason, too. It hurt like a bitch! I caught the lightning with my fingertips, directing it through my arm and down to my stomach, the source of my Chi. Iknew a mistake at this point would be fatal, because I didn't want it touching my heart. Azula watched in horrid fascination as I directed the lightning up my other arm and out of my other fingertips... straight at her.

"Impossible," she whispered before she was hit in the stomach with her own bolt of lightning. She slumped to the ground, semi-conscious. I walked up to her, sighing.

"Deja vu, eh, Azula?" I said. "Better, but still not good enough. Better luck next time." I perked up as I saw Appa flying overhead. "Well, looks like my ride is here," I said. "Get stronger, Azula. Then come face me." With that, I jumped up on top of Appa, and I was instantly subjected to hugs and a lot of scolding, courtesy of Katara. Aang just smiled at me, and I know that he found who he was looking for. Sokka was busy tying everything down, but he spared me a quick grin before he got back to work.

As we flew away, I looked back in time to see Mai and Ty Lee run up to Azula. Mai gave me a curious look, and I just shrugged. This is the way things were meant to be.

* * *

><p><em><strong>So? Like it? This chapter is based a lot off of the episode <strong>_**Return to Omashu**_**, but I must say I did a pretty good job. BTW, the arrows Loki makes are just like Medusa's in Soul Eater. If you don't know what that is, look it up. Soul Eater is an anime, and a damn good one at that. If you want to know what the arrows look like, just type in **_**medusa-vector arrow **_**in youtube. You'll find it. Well, that's a wrap, and stay tuned for the next chapter: **_**Earth Rumble**_**. Remember, review y'all!**_

_**P.S.- Look at my other fanfic, **_**Legend Hunters**_**, a Pokemon fanfiction. It's pretty good, if I don't say so myself.**_


	5. Earth Rumble

_**Time for the next chapter, guys! Now's the one you've been waitin' for: Earth Rumble! Also, I think I forgot to mention the characters' ages. Hehe... sorry.**_

_**Aang-14**_

_**Katara-16**_

_**Sokka-17**_

_**Loki-15**_

_**Toph-14**_

_**This is the epic chapter that I've been promising, so leeeeeet's get ready to ruuuuuumble!... Okay, that was just plain bullshit right there. **_

_**Chapter 5:Earth Rumble**_

"Hold still!" Katara scolded as she tried to wrap bandages around the wounds on my legs. At my insistence, they were dyed black with my power, making it look cooler. "I know it's hurting you, but I have to cover them up!"

"My wounds aren't hurtin' me, woman!" I jumped again involuntarily. "_You_ are!"

"Well sorry, Mr. I-wanna-start-a-fight-with-Azula! I'm not the one who nearly got burnt to a crisp!"

"I was not nearly-agh!" I clutched my head in pain as a glazed look came over my eyes. Suddenly, I heard a yell, amplified in my ears by the migraine, and Aang was holding his head as well. His tatoo's started glowing, as if he were going into the Avatar State, and after a while, mine did too, an ethereal glow coming fom under my shirt.

"We have to land!" Katara said worreidly. She looked over the side of the saddle. "There! Land outside of that town!"

Appa obeyed without question, seeing his best friend in pain, and landed right out side of the town's gates. Sokka immediately grabbed me and pulled me off of Appa, and as soon as my head touched the ground, I started to have a vision.

* * *

><p><em>I was in an arena of some sorts. One giant rock pedastal was separated from the stands by an empty ring, almost like a moat. The stadium could easily seat a couple hundred people, and I got a feeling they would be here to watch<em> something_. But what?_

_"What are you doing here?" a feminine voice asked impatiently. She sounded like she was ready to throw a boulder at my head if the fast foot-tapping was any indication._

_"I seriously don't know. Would you mind filling me in as to where this is?" I asked, cautious so she wouldn't just suddenly rage out on me. I finally turned around to face her, and I was stunned to see a beautiful (damn, I can't believe I said that. I'm gettin' old.) teenage girl standing in front of me. My eyes analyzed quickly, taking in minute details that I thought would be useful. She seemed about 5'1, and barefoot, like me. Her hair was tied up, with bangs covering the entirety of her forehead. The girl had a dull look in her eyes, instantly telling me that she was blind, but she seemed to be staring right at me. I decided to test something out, and I shifted my foot ever so slightly. The girl copied my movement discreetly, and it was then I knew: she didn't need to see because she _felt_ instead, which was just as good, if not better. The last thing I noticed was the bracelet on her ankle, and I jumped slightly, my feet never leaving the ground. No wonder I had been so jumpy about a boulder crashing down on my head- this girl's an Earthbender!_

_"What's your name?" she asked bluntly. Damn, this girl doesn't mince her words._

_"Loki. You?"_

_"Toph," she said, visibly relaxing a tiny bit. "And you still haven't answered my question: what are you doing here?"_

_"Girl, I just answered your damn question! Now answer mine!" I had a tick mark by that time._

_And it seemed that she did, too. "This an arena, dammit! Can you fucking see?" _

_"I know it's an arena, you twit! And don't you dare say that again, you fuckin' hypocrite! You're blind yourself!" Then my anger dissipated suddenly. "Alright, let's stop arguin' like were freakin' 6 year olds and just-."_

_"What, givin' up already?" Toph taunted, smiling. "You can do better than that, ya sissy!"_

_I smirked. The girl was good, but he was better. "Look, you ovbviously are not getting enough male attention. Now I know that you're in need, but I just can't help ya."_

_Toph blushed madly, and for a second, I thought she was gonna throw a boulder at me. But she didn't. Instead, she said "Fight me,"._

_I blinked. "What, now?"_

_"No, you idiot. At Earth Rumble 6. An Earthbending tournament." She turned away and started to walk. "I expect to see you there."_

_"Alrighty, then. See ya there."_

_Toph turned her head slightly, and gave me a genuine smile. "See you."_

_As she walked away, I tilted my head to get a look at her ass, and smiled. _

_"Damn."_

* * *

><p>I was grinning maniacally when I woke up, and Katara looked at me warily. Seeing that Aang was getting up, I decided to do the same, dusting off my clothes.<p>

"Loki?" Katara said, still looking at me with caution. "What was glowing under your shirt? I saw it when we were about to land. It seemed almost... ghostly." She finished tentatively.

I sighed. I didn't want to explain it until later... much later. But this damned situation has forced my hand. "The Shadowbenders have different tribes, each with different tatoos that glow different colors depending on your tribe. I was part of the Zyet Clan, and when my hair was white and my skin was black, the true color of a Shadowbender's skin, the markings glowed red. But now, due to my change, they glow teal, something that has caused me pain my whole life. But that doesn't matter, they're long gone, and I couldn't be more proud of 'em." I smirked a bit. "Besides, didn't I tell you that I was special?"

The rest of the gang smiled. But Aang still had a weird look on his face, almost like he had a revelation. "Loki," he asked. "Did you have a vision just now?"

"Yeah, why?" I said, wondering where he was going with this.

"And did it happen to have a blind girl with tied up hair?"

I was getting more creeped out by the second. "Yeah..."

"I think she's supposed to be our teacher, Loki," Aang said, as blunt as Toph. "Bumi said that our Earthbending teacher would be one who waits and listens before striking. Something about her felt... right."

It did sound like Toph, who _needed_ to wait and listen before striking her opponent. Those traits were vital for her because she used them to 'see'. Because of that, I had to agree. "I think you're right, Aang. Therefore, there's a promise I need to keep." I started to walk towards town. "Come on, let's stock up on supplies."

Katara knew something was up, but she didn't say anything. Sokka and Aang shrugged, and we headed into town.

Once we got inside the town's gates, a man holding dozens of small leaflets stopped us in our tracks.

"You kids like Earthbending? Like throwin' rocks? Come check out Master Wu's Earthbending Academy!" He handed Aang a leaflet and walked off.

"Okay, then," I said, creeped out. "That was one creepy pedophile. Did you see the way he looked at Aang?" I shivered. "Yuck."

Aang ignored me, but Sokka patted my shoulder. "I know what you mean, man. Freakin' pedo, lookin' at little kids like that. Nastiness."

"Hey, look," Katara said. "There's a coupon on the back. It says that the first lesson is free! Maybe this Master Wu is the teacher you've been looking for!"

Thirty minutes later, Aang came out of the academy looking like shit. He was covered head to toe in broken rock and sand to the point where he was trying to knock it out of his ears. Sokka and I laughed hysterically as Katara tried to get it all off.

"Dude," Sokka said, wiping a tear from his eye. "You look like a sand moth just took a dump on you!"

"Clean up man, you're makin' my eyes bleed!" I said, rolling on the floor in laughter.

Just then, we heard a couple of voices behind us. "I'm telling ya, The Boulder is gonna win Earth Rumble 6, no doubt about it!" My ears perked up at this.

"Well he's gonna have to get through some of the toughest Earthbenders in the world just to get a shot at the champ." Now everyone was interested.

"Hey, where is this Earth Rumble 6?" Aang asked the two teenagers. I wanted to know as well. I needed to sign up.

"It's on the island of Nunya. Nunya damn business!" They laughed at that, walking around a corner.

Katara and I looked at each other and nodded, knowing each other's thoughts.

_Payback time._

We raced after the two boys, Katara yelling "Wait up!". Catching up to them in an alley, they turned around to face us. But suddenly they found themselves on opposite sides of the alley, iced to the wall up to their chins.

"Now," Katara and I said in eerie unison accompanied with an even more eerie smile. "Tell us where Earth Rumble 6 is. Now, if you value your extremities."

The two guys were scared shitless. "It's underground! Th-there's a tunnel next to the well in the middle of the town, go down and you'll find the arena! Now, can you please let us go?"

Katara and I looked at each other, then back at them. "Nah," she said, walking away.

But I stayed for a little while longer. "One more question. How do you sign up for Earth Rumble 6?"

"You're that confident? Jeez," one of them said. "Go ahead, it's the first left door you come to when you get down there. Just ask the guy there to sign up. But I wish you luck man, 'cause you're gonna get your ass _kicked_."

"Thanks, you two. And for that comment... y'all can stay up there until you thaw out." I smiled a creepy smile.

I returned to Aang and Sokka to find a twisted scene. The guy who had given Aang the leaflet before was back, and he was touching Aang's head. Aang seemed not to notice, as his attention was focused, along with Sokka, on a bag they wanted to buy for themselves.

Katara started to walk towards the man, ready to give him a beatdown, when I simply put my hand on her shoulder, pulling her back. "Sokka!" I yelled, getting his attention. He looked up, and in the span of one minute, had his 'nigga moment'.

In one fluid movement, he took out his boomerang and clocked the guy on the head, stunning him. Then he kicked the guy in his chest and onto the floor, towering over him.

"YEAH, NOT SO GREAT NOW, ARE YA?" Sokka yelled in an almost ghetto tone. "YOU WERE FINE DOIN' ALL THAT NASTY SHIT JUST THEN, BUT NOW YOU GOT KICKED IN YO CHEST! HOW YOU FEELIN' NOW, YA PIECE OF SHIT? TOUCH HIM AGAIN AND I'LL RIP YOU A NEW ASSHOLE, YA FUCKIN' NASTY SON OF A BITCH! GO FIND SOME OTHER BOY TO MOLEST!"

The man looked like he was about to piss himself, and he ran off. I walked up to Sokka with a big smile on my face, while everybody else's mouth was open in shock.

"Now that's how ya do it!" I praised him, doing a fist bump. "Now, come on guys, we're goin' to Earth Rumble 6!"

* * *

><p>Underground the town, we started to walk towards the sound of cheering, assuming that that would be where we would watch the fights. Then I saw a door on my left, and I turned towards Sokka.<p>

"I have business to attend to, so I'm not gonna be able to watch the fights with you guys, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," Sokka said halfheartedly, his mind on the fights already.

"Good." He walked to catch up with Aang and Katara, and I entered the door on my left.

It was a simple room, no decorations whatsoever. Just a stone desk with a man sitting behind it. The man himself looked simple, dressed in a simple tunic, with horn-rimmed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. Nothing special, I concluded.

"You here to sign up?" he asked boredly.

"Yeah," I said with a similar tone.

"You an Earthbender?" I nodded, lying. "Alright, just sign here, and go through the door on my right. The stairs are right behind it, so be careful. They'll take you down to the room where the fighters wait and the tunnel you have to go through to get to the arena. Good luck."

"Thanks," I said. _I'll need it._

"Hey, wait, what's your name gonna be?"

"White Shadow," I said without hesitation.

It was my nickname from my time in the combat force.

I opened the door and nearly fell down the stairs. Regaining my balance, I made my way down the steps until I was in a large stone room, occupied by several Earthbenders, here to compete for the title. They looked like they had experience doing this, but it didn't matter to me. Looking around, I couldn't find Toph, so I decided to sit somewhere.

That's when I realized that all of the fighters were staring at me.

I began to feel uncomfortable, so I decided to move to the tunnel. I felt their stares even as I walked, like they were trying to burn holes in my skin. I shook it off. I didn't have time for this shit. I came to fight.

The tunnel was quite wide, enough for ten men walking side by side, with still a little room to spare. I raised up a shadowy wall around me, blocking me from their stares, and reached inside my near-empty bag. Pulling out a spare outfit, I started to change.

The outfit was black with white trim. It consisted of baggy black pants and an open tunic that I closed at the bottom, leaving the collar and the top of it open. It had a long slit down the side that started at my waist and went down all the way to the bottom, allowing for easier movement. It was short sleeved, coming up to my elbow, with black cuffs. I tied my waist with a white sash to make sure my pants didn't fall. I was dressed in the attire of the Combat Force of my former tribe, although it was a lttle altered due to my rank. It felt good to be back in it.

I lowered the wall, seeing that the tournament was about to begin. I heard the host in the arena, faintly. "The tournament is now underway. First up, The Boulder vs. The Big Bad Hippo! Let's see some Earthbending!"

I nearly laughed at the second guy's name, but the smile on my face died quickly when I saw the guy. He was big, and I mean _big_. What looked like flab from a distance was actually solid muscle. I stood stock still, flattened against the wall, trying to avoid the giant man's girth. Finally, he passed, and I could breathe again. The stink rolling off of him was astonishing, to say the least.

The Boulder was much smaller, but still very muscular. He turned towards me with a permanent scowl etched onto his face. "The Boulder thinks you are weak, and not cut out for this. The Boulder will crush you like an ant!"

A vein bulged in my head. "Well I think I can skip you across water, _Pebble_. And if you say another word, I _will_ rip that scowl off your face. Understand?"

He had the sense to keep his mouth shut, and he walked away towards his match. It went on like that: the fighters walikin' past, insulting me one way or another, and me threatening to hurt them... severely. By the time it was time for the championship match, I was ready to kill somebody.

Then she walked by. Toph walked with her head held high, flanked by two women, her champion belt in their hands. The fact that she was the champion didn't really surprise me, and 'seeing' me didn't surprise her, either, by the looks of it. She stopped right by me, and the women stopped as well.

"That vision I had of you gave me an hour-long headache," she said. Then she smirked. "I'm gonna hurt you for that."

I smiled back. "You can try it, shorty, but I don't think you're gonna succeed."

"We'll see, Loki." And she walked by, women in tow. "See ya out side the ring... literally."

Then she was gone. I sighed. This was gonna be a short fight for The Boulder. I decided to go outside the tunnel to watch.

The match had just started. But The Boulder wanted to finish it then, so he took one step, and Toph moved her foot in preparation. Then when his foot was about to land again, and she moved her foot swiftly, sending a wave of earth to where his foot was about to land.

_Seismic Sense, wow. Haven't seen that in a while. But it makes sense. _I turned my attention towards the match, and burst out laughing. The wave had hit The Boulder's foot precisely when it landed, making him do the split. I couldn't imagine how much that hurt. Then I winced, knowing I could.

Now Toph decided to end it, and while The Boulder was on the ground, she shot three earth pillars at him, knocking him my way. I sidestepped quickly with practiced ease, as The Boulder slid past me back down the tunnel.

"The winner is... The Blind Bandit!" The crowd cheered, expecting this. Toph looked towards me and smirked, boasting and showing off how strong she was.

"Now, there is a new contender, one that doesn't seem to be afraid of champion! Please welcome... the White Shadow!"

The crowd hushed, seeing me leap up onto the arena. My hair was out, hanging long, and I slitted my eyes.

"Nice job skipping The Pebble over water," I said to her.

She laughed, knowing who I was talking about. "Of course! I can beat anyone!"

"We'll see," I mumbled, the bell ringing to begin. "We'll see."

Then I realized that I had no game plan. I couldn't Earthbend yet, and I couldn't use anything else. But then I calmed down, and thought for a second. I would have to use pure strength to move the rocks, I have enough of that. But then I got a better idea. I could use Airbending to help move the earth as well as sound waves! It was genius! But I had no time to think, as a wave of earth shot toward me at a startling speed. I leaped to the side, staying in the air a tad bit longer thanks to my Airbending.

"Where are you?" Toph wondered aloud, searching the earth with her feet.

"Here," I said, putting all of my power into punching the ground, adding some sound waves as well. It knocked her off of her feet, her sense of sight and balance scrambled. Taking advantage of this, I stomped my foot, _hard_. My heel impacted the ground, and it created a wall of earth right where Toph landed, making it lift her into the air. I used my Gravitybending skills for the first in a long time, and I pushed the wall towards the edge, intent on winning.

But Toph had other plans. She went over, but she created a step for herself, allowing her to step back onto the arena pedestal. Her face flushed at her sudden embarrasment, she then shot two bullets of stone towards my face, intent on taking my head off. I sighed and jumped in the air, slicing my foot through the rocks, demolishing them, but some of the shrapnel cut my body, earning me about a dozen slices. '_Rock slice!,' _I thought, forgetting about it, laughing to myself. That was a mistake.

I decided it was time to end this nonsense, and I shot towards the ground, arm poised to punch it. It was then Toph shot another two bullets towards me without me noticing, and as the shock rippled through the stadium, knocking Toph out of the arena, the bullets impacted my face, slicing it open, the earthen shrapnel cutting three deep scars vertically down my face. The blood came instantly, but I was satisfied when I heard people clapping, clapping for me. But I then saw Toph stalking off, not even bothering to look back, into the tunnel.

I sighed a deep, long sigh. I had successfully pissed someone important off... again.

* * *

><p><em><strong>What did y'all think. This took hella long to write 'cause some days I just couldn't write... it didn't sit well with me. That's why I haven't updated in a while. Send me reviews, they tell me where I went wrong and what I need to fix. Nice reviews are welcome, too. Stay tuned for my next chapter, <strong>_**Death Chase**_**! Also, if you wanna know what a 'nigga moment' is, watch The Boondocks. And if you wanna know what Loki's combat outfit looks like, it's Ggio Vega's (from Bleach) outfit, just black. It's been real y'all. Peace.**_


	6. Death Chase

_**New chapter alert! I'm back with **_**Death Chase**_**, the newest and probably longest chapter I've ever written. Damn, I have nothin' else to say. So, without further ado, let's get back to the madness that is my imagination.**_

_**Chapter 6: Death Chase **_

I rose to my feet, shaking off the dust and stone on my body. Blood droplets spattered everywhere.

"Congratulations!" the host said. His tunic had 'Aon' stitched onto it, so I assumed that was his name. "You're the first person to ever beat The Blind Bandit! Here- this is your champion belt and your prize money."

"Thanks," I started, taking my prizes. Then the pain of having my face sliced open set in, and I growled loudly in pain. It _burned_, searing agony that stretched across my face. I then noticed that my face wasn't the only injury I had sustained. That last hit had made shrapnel slice my collarbone and my upper torso, leaving the top half of my body bloody and in agony. I started to stagger, the effects of losing so much blood without treatment coming on.

"I... I have to go," I said, my voice low. I ran towards the tunnel, hoping to catch up to Toph. I didn't care about the injuries right now, only about setting things right.

Toph was about to leave, and was picking up her bag. She had a scowl etched onto her face, making me hesitate. But I pressed on. "Toph!" I called.

I had gotten her attention. She turned angrily. "What do you-?" she stopped midsentence, noticing my condition. She turned pale. Her cuts didn't even compare to mine. "Oh god..."

I waved my hand. "It doesn't matter, they're just a couple of scars." I took a deep breath. Apologizing was hard for me to do, as was breathing at this point. Blood surrounded me in a pool. "I'm sorry about back there. I just came to set things straight.'

She 'stared' at me for a moment. Then she sighed. "No. Sorry."

I stiffened. This was exactly why I don't apologize: it always ends up blowing up in my face. "Look, you! I actually took the time to apologize to your sorry-!"

"You hurt my pride and my reputation. I don't forgive for that. So I'll repeat myself. NO!" Toph yelled the last part, sending a stone pillar my way. I didn't hesitate then, and I increased the gravity on pillar, stopping it in its tracks, blood pouring out more due to the exertion. _'Damn, she's strong!'_. And I was too weak, and the pillar hit my stomach at full force. I flew backwards into the wall, and I heard the crack as a crater was made.

Toph looked wide-eyed for a second, but then turned away. "Thanks for your cooperation," she said.

That made me snap. Once her foot touched the first stair, I screamed, propelling her up the rest of the way. I heard the door smash as she went through it. "Agh!" came her startled yell as she landed hard upstairs. I smirked, then felt faint. Falling on the floor, the rock being shattered thanks to the scream, I teetered on the edge of consciousness. Faintly, I heard some yells from behind me, in the tunnel.

"There he is!" Sokka said, rounding the corner. Then he stopped at the sight of me. "Katara!" he yelled, his panic rising. "Come quick!"

Katara and Aang rounded the corner, and Katara damn near broke down. "Oh no..." She practically flew right over to me, immediately starting to heal my wounds. Aang just stared, in such a state of shock that he couldn't move. Frankly, I couldn't blame him.

"Just stay still, Loki." Those were the last words I heard before I slipped into unconsciousness, ashamed that I was reduced to this.

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

I woke up in a stable, on top of Appa's saddle. My upper body was swathed in bandages, tight against my skin. All of the blood was gone, and when I felt my face, three scars were all that remained of the gouges the rocks cut into my skin. Katara had outdone herself this time.

Looking around, I couldn't find the others, so it was time to put that Seismic Sense to use. I closed my eyes, searching for my friends through the vibrations in the ground. In my mind, white waves of light spread out from my position, telling me where everything was. Then I felt them, after what felt like an hour but what was really a moment. They were in a room, a large one, probably a dining room. There were 4 people with them... including Toph. I mentally cringed, then became wide-eyed as I heard Aang say "Thank you, Mr. Bei Fong,".

_'Holy shit! She's part of the Bei Fong Family?'_ I thought. Then I grinned. '_This I have to see!'_

I took a step, and my legs ached a little. Deciding it would be wise to let them rest for a bit longer, I used my Airbending to enable me to float. I drifted out the stable door, marveling at the large expanse of lawn. Now _this_ is wealth.

Gliding towards the main house, I heard voices in one of the rooms, and I instantly changed course. Coming up to the window, I swathed myself in shadows, and I looked inside. What I saw nearly made me laugh to death. Toph was wearing a long, white petticoat dress, with a yellow ribbon with a flower on it tied in her hair to keep it up. She looked uncomfortable, and I was glad. Aang, however, had a bowl stuck to his face, soup dripping down his head. The others, Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong, and ,surprisingly, Master Yu, looked at him strangely. Sokka was eating like an animal, and Katara seemed to be the only one out of the three who had any sense. Laughter was practically coming out the side of my mouth, straining to get out.

I went back to the stable before it escalated, and by the sound of it, it did, and fast. I chuckled, the darkness coming off of me. '_That was fun,_' I thought, lying back down. Now, time for the Waiting Game.

Several minutes later, Aang and the others came in. He and Katara, seeing that I was awake, rushed over to me to inspect me, making sure I was alright.

"Get off of him!" Sokka said, exasperated. "God, give the man some space."

They both backed up, still having worry in their eyes. "Thank you, Sokka," I said. Lifting myself up, I stepped onto the floor, and I immediately put my guard up. "What do you want, Toph?"

The others turned in the direction of the door, guard up. "Relax," Toph said, opening it. "I'm here to call a truce, Twinkle Toes. Sorry about dinner."

"Alright, now say sorry to me," I said.

Toph turned her head in my direction. "Why are you here?" she said, suddenly apprehensive.

"I travel with them, idiot. How did your parents take your wounds?" I asked her. "Are you alright?"

"Glad you're concerned. But don't be. They thought I fell or some bullshit like that. And don't tell me you're here to apologize again." She sneered. "It's getting old."

"I only apologize once, girl." She was shocked at my cold tone, if her face was anything to go by. "I offered an apology, and you didn't take it. Don't expect me to offer a second one. Do you deserve it?"

Toph started to speak, but closed her mouth. "Come on, Twinkle Toes. I want to speak to you about my offer." She and Aang started walking towards the door. But before she closed it, she turned back towards me. "Loki," she said. She smiled a small smile. "Apology accepted." And she closed the door.

I smiled, then sighed. "Glad that's over," I said. "Hey, what was Aang's offer?"

Sokka turned to me, unrolling his sleeping bag as he did so. "Toph offered to teach Aang and you Earthbending, Loki." He shook his sleeping bag. "Pretty nice of her, considering what she did."

"Yeah..." I said, slowly settling back into the saddle. I don't sleep as much as the others, so I lay awake for a while. Suddenly, I heard a scream. A girl's scream. I leaped up immediately, waking Sokka and Katara up.

"What happened?" Sokka asked, sleepy-eyed.

"They're in trouble," I said simply, and I ran outside. They quickly followed, and we ran until we saw the scene I was looking for.

The Earthbenders had locked up Toph and Aang in two steel cages, the latter probably as a percaution. Aon was standing on top of the two cages, grinning. "Where's the money?" he asked me.

"It's mine," I said. "I won it fairly, the battle was legit, so I don't know what the hell you're talkin' about."

Aon sneered. "Then why did you run after her, hmm? To split the money? It all seems orchestrated to me, right boys?" He was greeted with a chorus of "Yeah!" from the other Earthbenders. "And no one cheats me out of money."

I sighed. I am never apologizing again.

I looked at Aang's prison, and I remembered my duty. To protect him at all costs, that's what I vowed. And I was gonna stay true to that. I concentrated all my energy on Aang, and I shifted the shadows making a void in his cage. My face had a thin veil of sweat from the exertion, but I managed to put him through. Doing something similar to the ground at my feet, I switched with Aang, right before they dragged the cages off. My last sight was Aang staring at me with a look of shock on his face, wondering what had just happened. Then he faded out of view.

"Hey, Twinkle Toes," Toph called from the other cage. "Bust us out of here! I can't bend in this cage!"

"Um, first, get the name straight- it's Loki, not 'Twinkle Toes'. Second, I'm trying, you idiot. What do you think I've been doing for the past half hour?"

"Well hurry up! We don't have all day!"

"Actually, it's night, so-"

"Shut up!"

I smirked. I had gotten under her skin once again. But she was right, we couldn't stay here all night. But the cage started vibrating, and suddenly, we were on the ground, dropped out of the cage by a trap door. Rubbing my sore backside, I got up, and got into a fighting stance. The Earthbenders had surrounded us, blocking all routes of escape. Toph had just gotten back on her feet, shaking off her dizziness. Now wasn't the time to be stumbling around.

"Now, let's show these thieves what we do to people who steal our money," Aon grinned evilly. "Kill them!"

I smiled. A fight to the death then? Gladly. "You ready?" I asked Toph, already knowing her answer.

"I was born ready." She stomped her foot, creating a seismic shockwave that razed the ground, knocking two of our opponents off of their feet. I finished the job, grabbing them by their necks and hurling them out of the arena. They landed on top of each other, dazed.

Toph lifted her arms, a small pedestal formed in front of her. She swiped her hands across it repeatedly, and several discs of stone launched themselves at another Earthbender, one I recognized as the Big Bad Hippo. It impacted his chest and face, the force sending him back a few feet. I ran towards him, ducking and dodging the attacks that were thrown my way. Rolling under a huge chunk of stone thrown by The Boulder (ironically), I lunged at the Hippo, driving my shoulder into his gut. Now, had it been anybody else doing that (except for Toph, probably), they would've bounced right off. But my strength outmatched his, albeit by a small margin, and I sent him flying out the arena. He landed on top of the others, crushing them as they tried to get back up. I had to laugh at that.

Toph was holding her own quite well. She punched the ground, sending rows upon rows of sharp stone pillars towards her opponents. One flew to the edge of the ring, twitching uncontrollably. The others managed to dodge them to some extent, although all got hurt. The Boulder hurled several chunks of rock at her, hoping to catch her off guard. Toph deftly turned around, avoiding a stone spike and smashing the boulders with her fists in one fluid movement. She performed a leg sweep, sending a crescent of earth towards The Boulder, knocking him out of the arena and into the three Earthbenders still trying to get up, crushing them once again.

The twitching Earthbender managed to get up, and I was getting ready to rush him when I heard Sokka's voice. "Hey, we got your money!"

Sokka was closely followed by Aang, Katara, Mr. Bei Fong, and Master Yu. Toph's father was holding a box of what I assumed to be money, and was rushing towards Toph when a giant rock landed in front of him, scaring him senseless. He ran to the bleachers, sitting down along with everyone else.

"Toph, come here!" he yelled, obviously distressed. He never thought of why Toph was still in one piece. Amazing.

Suddenly, I felt a pain in my stomach, and I was flying through the air. I had forgotten about the Aon, and I had paid dearly.

"Loki!" Toph screamed. She started to turn when I yelled back at her. "Don't move, and cover your ears!" I said, as I started to stockpile energy. My throat started to tingle, and I felt the sound building up. Finally, I released it, and the sound came out in a giant shriek, propelling me at a surprisingly fast speed towards one of the Earthbenders. I passed over him, blasting him back with the sound that came out of my mouth. He skidded on the ground, knocking the still twitching Earthbender off of his feet and out of the arena with him.

Finally, it was just us against Aon. Well, Toph against Aon- I saw the fire in her eyes signaling that she wanted to crush him. So I backed down, ready to jump in at a moment's notice.

"Bring it, little girl," Aon said, sneering. Big mistake.

"Bring it? I already brought it to the table, sat down, and ate it!" Toph smirked. She brought her arms up, two boulders coming out of the ground. Sending them towards Aon, she shattered them in mid-air, creating hundreds of tiny pieces of shrapnel. Aon brought up an earth shield, but he wasn't fast enough, as dozens of shards cut his torso and arms. The rest clattered to the ground, useless.

Aon grew angry, and he stomped the ground, bringing up six boulders. He kicked them at Toph, one at a time, but with deadly accuracy. She didn't even look worried as she ran towards Aon, creating several rock spikes to protect her from his onslaught. Two got through, however, but she simply grabbed one and smashed it against the other, not slowing down in the slightest. Toph skidded towards him, razing the earth in front of her. Half of the arena cracked and crumbled to the ground, taking Aon with it. He tumbled to the ground covered in rock with his body twitching spastically. He was out for good. I smiled at Toph's display of power as I walked over. I have to admit, even I had underestimated her at one point. But that went out the window as soon as she beat the crap out of me.

"You alright?" I asked her.

"I should be asking you that question," she said, smirking. "How could I get hurt? I'm-"

"Okay, no more egotistical rants, woman." I smiled. "I've heard enough for one lifetime."

Toph smiled as the gang walked up. "Oh yeah? Well get used to it."

* * *

><p>We were getting ready to take off, leaving the town and the Bei Fong family behind. Well, most of them, anyway.<p>

"Hey Toph," I called from on top of Appa. "Your champion belt... I think you need it more than I do."

Toph's eyebrow twitched. "Oh, saying you're too good for it, are ya? Remember how I whooped your ass?"

"No, if I recall, I whooped _you_ and embarrassed you at the same time, so go shove that argument up your ass." I grinned.

Sokka and Aang laughed at that. "But if you want your title back- oof!" I was knocked off of Appa by a large boulder, and I dropped the belt. Toph was blind so she couldn't see it coming, and it hit her right on her head. We were both unconscious before we hit the ground. The last thing I heard was Aang asking, "Do you think we should pick them up?"

"Hey, do you guys want soup or berries?" Sokka asked us. We had been flying for a whole day, and all of us were anxious to get some rest.

"Soup," we all said simultaneously. Katara was laying out the sleeping bags, Aang was gathering firewood, and Toph and I sat and talked.

"So, how long have ya been blind?" I asked.

"My whole life," she answered. "You get used to it after the first year."

I chuckled lightly. "Ya know, I was blind for a while, three years to be precise."

Her eyes widended slightly. "Really? How?"

My eyes darkened a bit, a little emotion seeping through. "When I was five, three kids decided it would be cool to play a prank on _the reject_. I was powerful back then, even at five, but it was three on one, and even I knew I was outnumbered. Doesn't mean I didn't fight back though- I gave one kid 2 black eyes and I broke another one's face. Huh, good times, good times..."

"Loki!" Toph waved her hand in front of my face, then smacked me hard.

"What the fuck was that for, you little brat?" I yelled.

"Keep going," she said bluntly.

I glared at her for a little while longer, then I continued. "Well, one held on to my feet while another held on to my hands, then the other squeezed little drops of acid from a syringe on my eyes. I remember getting rushed to my mother, who was one of the best healers in the Clan. She did what she could, so I wasn't forced to be blind forever, but I was blind until I was eight. During that time, I learned Seismic Sense, but I had to learn the hard way. Kids still tried to beat me up, so I was _forced_ to learn how to avoid their attacks and counteract. I got hit the first few times, but I quickly learned from my mistakes, and was able to swiftly take 'em down by the time I was six. I even learned how to 'see' in the air: echolocation."

"Echolocation?" Toph asked. "What the hell is that?"

I smiled. "I studied the bats in the caves surrounding the village, who were blind as well. They screeched and as they did, I saw the sound waves bounce everywhere in a split second, and return to them. It showed them where obstacles were and where to get food and water. Doing this for a couple of months allowed me to imitate them, allowing me to fight in the air if I wanted to, or was forced to by the Airbenders."

Toph's eyes widened at that. Frankly, I didn't think her eyes could get wider at that point. "There were Airbenders-"

"Hey guys? Can you get up and help a bit?" Katara asked. She looked a little irritated. "We all do something to help out around here, Loki you know that. So why don't you-"

"Katara, I told you, I can pull my own weight around here," I said, taking out my sleeping bag.

"Exactly. I don't need a fire, I've got my own food, and look," Toph created a rock tent behind her. "I even put up my tent!"

"Well, that's good for you two, but not for- hey! Wake up, Loki!" Katara said, slapping me upside the head. Toph laughed.

"Huh? Did you say something?" I said sleepily.

"Ugh, forget it!" Katara stalked away to get her sleeping bag.

"There ya go, Toph," I said, rolling my sleeping bag into a pillow and putting my head on it. "Failproof way to get rid of someone." I grinned.

"Yeah," she said, falling backwards into her rock tent. She grabbed her bag and used it as a pillow. "I guess it is."

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

I woke up suddenly after I felt something coming towards us from a distance. Now alert, I put both hands on the ground, trying to pinpoint it better. My eyes widened. The thing was coming- _fast_.

"Toph!" I whispered, trying to get her attention. She awoke instantly, putting her hand to the ground.

"Feel it?" I asked. I was getting worried, and was contemplating waking the others up.

"Yeah," she said. Toph turned around to wake up the others. "Hey! Wake up!" Toph's screaming had them holding their ears for dear life. I damn near passed out.

"What is it, guys?" Aang asked.

"There's something coming towards us fast. We should move Aang. Now." I emphasized the last part just in case they were still tired. Sokka started to pack up the things.

"Alright, it's better to be safe than sorry." Aang hopped onto Appa. "Come on, guys. Let's get moving."

We lifted off and flew into the night, and I looked back to see what was following us.

"Holy shit," I said. "What the hell is that?" I pointed to the thing following us, and the others gasped. It had three segments, each seeming to move on six wheels each. It had smoke coming from a funnel at the front, and a deep trail was being left behind it. I couldn't place a name on it, but I knew it was bad.

"Good thing we left early," Sokka said, sighing. He turned around to Aang. "So, do ya know where we're gonna land?"

"Over there," Aang said, pointing at a large ledge coming out of a mountain. "There's no way they'll find us there."

We landed on the ledge, and started to take off our sleeping gear from Appa.

"Okay," Sokka said. "Let's not set up camp, alright. Just find the softest patch of dirt you can and go to sleep." He immediately plopped down on the ground, using his sleeping bag as a pillow. He was snoring within the minute.

"Alright. Toph and Loki probably weren't going to help anyway." Katara said, shooting an angry glare at the people in question.

I shrugged it off and lied awake, still listening for any sounds that might alert me to the thing's presence. "Whatever, Sugar Queen," Toph said, rolling over.

Katara immediately sat up. "Sugar Queen?" she yelled. "How can you- hey! Are you listening?"

"Huh? Did you say something?" Toph asked, looking a bit dazed.

Katara was livid. "Never mind!" she growled out. She rolled over in her sleeping bag, and was just about to head off to sleep when-

"We have company, guys," I said quietly. I was honestly getting tired of this bullshit.

"No. There's no way they could have found us!" Aang walked to the edge, overlooking a pass that connected our cliff to another mountain. The monstruous thing was scaling the side of the pass, ending up at the other end. It suddenly stopped, and the back segment opened up to reveal... Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee.

"Aw, shit." I facepalmed. "My luck sucks so much..."

"What's wrong Loki?" Katara and Toph asked simultaneously. I raised my eyebrow at that, but shrugged it off. "Do you know her?"

"I know all of them," I said. I then turned towards the trio. "Hello, ladies," I said as if I was flirting. "How are you this evening?"

Mai and Azula blushed slightly, while Ty Lee giggled. "Hello to you, too, Loki," she said back in the same flirting tone. I saw Toph shift slightly at this, but dismissed it.

"Look, we didn't come here to talk!" Azula said angrily, still blushing a little. "We're here to take the Avatar." With that, she shot a blast of fire at us, the azure flames crackling and sparking violently as the creatures the three girls rode on swiftly crawled towards our position. Creating rock spires as obstacles for the trio, Toph shattered them, sending stone shrapnel across their skin. But they didn't slow down a bit.

"Let's go!" Sokka said, jumping onto Appa.

"Agreed!" Toph created a rock wall to block the three girls, and I used gravity to push it towards them. We both turned to get on Appa when a bolt of blue lightning struck the wall, blasting a hole in it. Mai threw three daggers towards Toph, hoping to impale her. She lifted the ground beneath her feet, propelling her towards Appa and blocking the daggers.

I reached over and grabbed her hand, pulling her close just as more knives flew at her. She blushed heavily, but I didn't notice. "Let's go!" I said, and Appa lifted off. A bolt of lightning struck where we were flying just a moment ago, and Katara nearly jumped out of her skin. I looked back, and I saw Azula glaring at us. I could see the fire in her eyes, like she knew she was going to catch us, one way or another. But I could care less.

**_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_**

"Land, sweet land!" Toph plopped down on the ground.

Appa was asleep as soon as he hit the ground, and Aang slid off of his head as soon as it was safe to get off.

"Alright," Sokka said, he and Katara getting off of the sleeping air bison. "We've put a lot of distance between us and those three girls. Now, let's follow Appa's lead and get some rest."

"Of course, we could've gotten some earlier if Toph and Loki didn't have such _issues_," Katara said, irritated. As soon as the words came out of her mouth, we were both sitting up, looking murderous. "WHAT?" we said in unison.

"Look," Aang said. His eyes were drooping to the point that they were practically closed. "Everyone is just really tired right now. Let's just all get to sleep."

"No! I want to hear what Katara has to say! You think I have issues?" Toph stood up, clearly tired.

"I'm just saying that if you two had helped out earlier, maybe we could've gotten some sleep, and then _maybe_ we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Wait," I interjected. "It sounds like she's blaming us." I got off of Appa's saddle and jumped to the ground. "Are you blaming us for this, Katara?"

Aang quickly stepped in. "No, no! She's not blaming you guys!"

"Oh, no, I'm blaming them!"

Toph got in Katara's face. "Look, I don't ask you guys for diddly-doo-da. I carry my own damn weight. I don't need anybody's help, you got that?"

"Anyway, if there's anyone you should be blaming, it's Appa." At this, Aang looked astonished. "No offense, buddy, but he's been leaving a trail of fur everywhere we travel." I grabbed a fistful of Appa's hair and let it blow away. "He's shedding, remember?"

"You're blaming Appa?" Aang said, scandalized. "How dare you blame him. You guys always say you're carrying you're own weight, but you're not! He is! He's carrying you're fucking weight! He never had problems when it was just three of us on him!" He finished, now yelling.

We stared at him for a while, then turned around. Toph and I picked up our bags. Walking away, Toph said, "I'm outta here."

I looked at her, then patted her shoulder. "I'm gonna see you later, shorty," I said, smiling.

She punched my side lightly, and smiled slightly. "Bet on it, Bones."

I smirked at the nickname she gave me, and we walked our seperate ways.

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

I walked along the path for a long while, thinkin' about my situation. Aang and Katara needed time to cool down, so a couple of days would do it. I knew we would both be back, whether by outside forces or just a change of heart. But not now.

I sighed. This was gonna be a long two days.

"Looks like _someone_ is lost," a voice said from the cover of the trees. I turned, cautious.

Focusing my ears, I tried to pinpoint where the voice had come from. Then I had a sudden premonition, and I swiftly turned around, my nails turning razor-sharp.

"You still have your edge, I see." A girl about my age was standing right in front of me, smirking. She had pure-white hair, with a streak of black in it. Her eyes was heterochromatic: she had one red eye and one blue eye. But the thing that threw me the most was her skin- it was black, like mine was supposed to be... My face tensed slightly. She looked so damn _familiar_. Then it struck me. "R-Rinca?"

"In the flesh!" She walked up and hugged me, and I was still shocked that she was here. "My, you haven't changed a bit, Lo-Lo." She looked me up and down, almost hungrily.

I raised an eyebrow at the mention of my old nickname. "I thought I said for you to never call me that again."

She looked at me, her expression dull. "Since when do either of us listen to what other people say?" she asked bluntly. Damn, almost as blunt as Toph.

"True, but I gotta ask, what are you doing here?"

Rinca hesitated for a moment. "We're back," she said simply. And that simple phrase was what made me smile, what made me think that there's even more hope for defeating Ozai.

"Where are you guys meeting?" I asked, still not believing the news.

"In Ba Sing Se," Rinca said. She then smiled. "I'm traveling alone, and I don't want to impede on your time by traveling with you." She stopped, and looked me right in the eyes. "And where's Aang, Loki? You were never one to quit what you were doing, you know. You finished the job, no matter what. So I advise you to get your ass back and find him."

I smiled at her attitude. "Yeah, yeah. I know." I tousled her hair before starting to run. "I'll see ya soon!" I called back.

"You better!" Rinca yelled, fading into the distance.

I smiled again, it turning into a mad grin. The Eighth Company, Assassin Regiment, was back in business.

**_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_**

After a while, I stopped at the edge of a desert. Rolling dunes stretched as far as the eye could see, but in the distance was a tiny cluster of homes, and I decided to stop there. I had started to walk when I heard the voice, and I smiled, knowing who it belonged to.

"I told you we'd see each other again," the voice said.

"No, I think _I_ told _you_," I said, turning around. Toph stood in front of me, but behind her was someone I definitely did _not_ expect.

"Iroh?" I asked, a little confused but overall calm. I held no grudge against the man; he wasn't like his brother, and he truly wasn't as bad as others make him out to be. Holding out my hand, I nodded with a slight smile. "Can't say I ain't surprised."

He laughed heartily, and shook the hand. "I would say the same thing, _Bones_." He laughed again.

My eyebrow twitched at the nickname. "What was that?" I asked.

"Oh, this young lady here told me your nickname, and spoke quite a lot about you in general." His smile never left his face.

"Oh really?" I said, turning towards Toph. She blushed slightly, but didn't turn away.

"Iwashighontea," she mumbled incoherently.

"What?"

"I WAS HIGH ON TEA, OKAY?" She was blushing madly now. We looked at each other for a while, then busted out laughing. Iroh watched the exchange with amusement.

"I do not want to interrupt, but I believe we need to be somewhere," he said after several seconds. We stopped immediately, and turned towards the desert.

"Alright," I said, starting to walk. Let's get this show on the road."

And we walked. The village got larger with each passing minute, and soon it was right in front of us.

Then I saw the pillar of blue fire.

"Let's go!" I yelled, hurrying to the scene, Toph right behind me. Iroh had disappeared, but I dismissed it. I had more important matters to deal with.

Toph and I ran through the alleys, searching for our friends. We found them, three on one, facing off against Azula. Toph slipped off her backpack, getting into a fighting stance. I did the same, turning my left arm into a whip.

"You ready?" she asked me, smirking.

"I was born ready." I whipped my 'arm' towards Azula's leg, forcing her to one knee. She was about to turn around, but Toph shifted her foot to the right, and Azula was flung to one side, knocked off her feet by the shifting of the ground. Our friends looked at us, shocked that we were here.

"Thought you could use a little help," Toph said, still smirking. Their faces suddenly turned to relief, and I saw a little gratitude in Katara and Aang's eyes. We all turned towards Azula, including Zuko, who I just noticed, and Iroh. _So that's where he went._

"So, enemies banding together with traitors. I should've expected this," Azula said, her contempt evident. "Alright, you got me." She held up her hands. "A princess goes down with honor."

Bullshit.

She looked at all of us in turn, her eyes jumping fromn one person to another. My feet shifted, slightly uncomfortable. Normally, I read her like an open book: she was too damn predictable, her emotions are like her facial expressions to me. But now... I couldn't read her. It was bothering me.

I was so deep in thought that my reflexes dulled ever so slightly, and in that time, she attacked. She shot a quick bolt of lightning at Iroh's chest, sending him through an open doorway. We instantly turned towards Azula, and threw everything we had in one, giant blow. There was a giant explosion, then nothing.

We looked over to where Iroh lay. Zuko kneeled next to him, seemingly fustrated with himself. I knew we had to leave him alone, but Katara's big heart couldn't let her go just yet.

"Zuko, I can help him," she said. "Please, just let me-"

"Leave!" he yelled, not even turning around. Toph winced slightly at this. I could see that she wanted to stay, to help Iroh. Her foot shifted ever so slightly for reasons I don't know, but when Iroh took an unnoticable breath, she breathed out a sigh of relief.

"But-"

"LEAVE!" He threw flame this time, forcing us back. Katara now looked visibly hurt, and we all turned and walked towards Appa.

The next rising of the moon found us all asleep on Appa's saddle. I didn't notice my arm around Toph's waist. And she didn't notice when she moved in closer.


	7. The Unyielding Element of Earth

_**Hope ya'll are ready, 'cause guess what? I'M BACK! HAHA! *Ahem* Alright. Now that my insanity moment is over, I now introduce the next installment of **_**The Shadowbender**_**, The Unyielding Element of Earth. I'm really sorry I haven't updated in a while- I've just had some writer's block. Hope y'all like this.**_

_**Chapter 7: The Unyielding Element of Earth **_

"YES!" Aang shouted, waking all of us. "It's finally here! Earth-" He was silenced by a chokehold, courtesy of me.

"Shut... the hell... UP!" I yelled the last part, then fell back into my sleeping bag, asleep the minute my head hit the bag... well, the ground, actually. Toph swiped the bag away right before my head touched it, resulting in brief agony.

"What the fuck?" I screamed at her. She grinned at me, and I glared back. Ever since I told her about what I was able to bend, she had been jumping in anticipation of 'training' (more like torturing) me with Earthbending training. I was all for training, but right now, all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. So I turned my head and closed my eyes, hoping to get in five more minutes.

Big mistake.

"Wake up, Bones!" Toph yelled in my ear. I jumped to my feet, holding my ears for dear life. Whipping my head towards her, I growled.

"If you do that again, I _will_ kill you, got it?" My hair was a mess, puffed out and hanging out. My pupils were slitted, and my sharp teeth were bared into a snarl. All in all... I looked pretty damn scary. But as usual, Toph was unfazed.

"Fine, go back to sleep," she said, still smiling. Walking away, she turned back towards me. "You weren't training today, anyway."

My eyebrow twitched uncontrollably. "WHAT?" I screamed, nearly breaking everyone's eardrums. I was about to shrug it off (with difficulty), but then I found out something that made me want to bang my head against a wall.

I couldn't go back to sleep. And I think Toph knew this.

"DAMMIT!" I screamed.

"Calm down, Loki," Sokka said, holding his ears. "It's not that big of a deal. Besides," He siddled up to me. "We get to watch Toph beat the crap out of Aang," he whispered so the others couldn't hear.

I smiled at that, and weighed my options. I didn't hesitate. Aang epically failing was better than trying to go back to sleep. I usually couldn't sleep, anyway, so what was the point?

"Fine," I replied, sitting down on a rock. "I want to watch this anyway."

Toph grinned, then turned towards Aang. All traces of humor were gone. "Alright, Twinkle Toes. Let's go."

Aang jumped in excitement, then went to follow Toph to the large rocky clearing in front of our camp.

As it turns out, I was glad that I did decide to watch Aang train. He needed to start all over in terms of style, because this was his natural opposite. Sokka and I couldn't stop laughing as Aang blew himself back into a wall trying to move a rock that was twice his size. Katara looked worried as Toph ruthlessly trained Aang, basically breaking him down. She had him lifting weights while standing on two rocks 10 feet off the ground. Breaking through stone with his bare hands. It did look a bit brutal but hey, that's life as the Avatar. Although, I really did wish it was me training instead. The energy now in me wouldn't go away, and I needed to discharge it somehow. Then I got an idea.

I was now focusing intently on the two training. My eyes took in every movement Toph made, my ears soaking up every instruction she gave. This translated to knowledge, which in turn gave me an idea on how the basics of Earthbending worked. I would need it for what I was going to attempt. This would probably infuriate her, me not waiting, but as usual, I didn't care.

I wanted to Earthbend.

**_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_**

That night, as soon as everyone was asleep, I levitated up from my sleeping position. I didn't need Toph knowing where I was.

Drifting across the clearing, I wondered where I would go to train. Somewhere far from here, obviously, where no one would find me. After several minutes, I finally came across a clearing similar to the one near our camp. I put my feet on the ground and utilized my Seismic Sense, stretching my field of 'vision' to the camp. All of my friends were still asleep, still there. I grinned. Good.

I slid into the stance that I saw Toph use, and I remembered her words. _Steady and strong, like a rock. _It was easy enough, although I knew it was harder than it looked for most people. Thankfully, I wasn't most people.

A large boulder was several yards in front of me. I took the stance, and I focused. Finally, after a couple of seconds, I was confident, and punched forward with my fist. The result was earsplitting to say the least, as the blast shook my foundations, but I didn't move. I was suddenly thankful I had put up the soundproof barrier around the clearing. That shit would've woken people in Ba Sing Se.

I looked around for the rock, and to my surprise, I found it in the wall I pushed it towards, completely embedded. There was no way I was getting that out. I grinned a shit-eating grin. _This was going to be easier than I thought. _

Next, I worked on raising pillars of stone from the ground. I started simple, raising two foot pillars. I became adept very quickly, and I steadily increased the size of the pillars from two to three, then three to four. Soon I was raising ten-foot tall stone pillars twelve at a time, then knocking them down with a single stomp. That simple gesture gave me a new idea, one I knew would be useful.

I crouched in the center of the clearing, getting ready to spring up in the air. The idea was to jump into the air and come back down punching the ground, similar to what I did to knock Toph out of the arena at Earth Rumble 6. But this time, I was gonna use Earthbending to make stone spikes radiate from the epicenter (me) like a shockwave. It would be devastating, and that's exactly why I was trying it.

I leapt up with force, leaving a small crater behind me. While soaring up, I concentrated as hard as I could on my fist, and started the descent. The wind whipped at my face, nearly blinding me. But my concentration never wavered, and I struck the ground with a force that rattled my bones. I would have to work on that.

I looked around in astonishment as the shockwave rippled throughout the clearing. All at once, stone spikes shot into the air, but didn't come back down as I had expected. It was then I realized that I would have to do some power adjusting. Earthbending has to be prescise and sharp, the exact amount of force has to be exerted to get the results you want. I suddenly admired Toph's ability to do this so... easily.

Going to work on an aspect of basic training, I pushed my limits until dawn. I was slightly out of breath by then, and I decided to go back to camp. That _was_ the plan until I heard her voice.

"Ya know, you could have waited," Toph said, walking up from behind. I turned towards her, expecting to see an angry face, but it wasn't so. Her expression was... disappointed, with a bit of softness in it, if only a speck. "If you had let me help you, maybe you wouldn't have had problems, you idiot." Her voice was lower now, and somewhat hurt. My brain twisted as I confronted this new person. This wasn't the Toph I knew.

"Who are you, and what did you do with Toph?" I asked warily, nails already sharpening.

She walked up to me and slapped me across the face, _hard_. "Is that better?" she asked, her eyebrow twitching.

"Much," I replied, rubbing my face. "So, what did I do wrong?" I started to walk back towards the camp, motioning for her to follow. Then I remembered that she couldn't see, so I simply shifted my foot in the direction of the camp, and she picked up my intention instantly.

She smiled, and started to explain how to improve the 'epic fail', as she put it, that was my training.

* * *

><p>Tomorrow, well, later this morning, I was lifting boulders three times my size before anyone was even awake. Though that changed as soon as I dropped the boulder on my foot.<p>

"FUCK!" I yelled, waking everybody up.

Toph was rolling around on the ground, laughing her head off while the others looked at us strangely, and I don't think I could blame them.

"What's wrong, Loki?" asked Katara, a hint of worry in her face.

"What... does it... look... like?" I managed to get out, hopping on one foot. Toph was hysterical with laughter by then, and I felt like hopping over there and strangling her.

"Okay, I'm gonna put this out of my mind and go get something for us to eat." Sokka jumped up and grabbed his bone machete. "We're eatin' meat!" He ran away to find some, a happy smile etched on his face. We all shook our heads.

"Yo, Aang! Wanna train with me today?" I asked him. I saw him cringe at the mention of training, and he shook his head feverently.

"No thanks," he replied. "I have to practice Waterbending right now, but... maybe later."

"Yeah, yeah, alright," Toph said at his retreating back as he went to the pond with Katara. "Go splash around until you feel better."

I rolled my eyes and smiled at her attitude. "So what do we do now?" I asked her.

She smiled. "What _you_ do now is the same thing Aang did before he wimped out." Toph pointed to a boulder on top of the ramp that was used the previous day. "You're going to stop the boulder when it reaches you, alright?" She started to walk up to the boulder, but turned her head to face me. "And for your own damn sake, _don't _pull the same shit Aang did yesterday. At least let the boulder have the satisfaction of crushing you."

I shook my head and slid into the stance I was taught, bracing myself. When she reached the giant rock, she waited a moment before shoving it without any effort off of the cliff and down the incline. It hurtled down, coming straight at me at an extreme speed.

I stood firm, and held out my hand in a stopping gesture. When the boulder finally reached my position, it impacted my hand with enough force to create a giant dust cloud.

"Hey, Bones!" I heard Toph call, a tiny rasp in her voice due to the dust cloud. "You alright? Don't die on me now!"

"I'm fine!" I called back. In a few moments, the dust cleared. A pile of rock was in front of me, probably the remains of the boulder. When Toph saw this, she smiled, and after shaking off the dust, I smiled back.

"Looks like you pass this part, Bones," she said, nodding her head in approval. Suprisingly, I didn't react to my nickname- I think I was getting used to it. "That's it for today's training. Take a break."

I took her offer graciously, seeing as I might not get another chance like this again. Walking over to the rock wall, I slumped down and rested myself. But then I started thinking- Toph was never this generous. But that thought came a second too late, and before I knew it I was in the rock, not knowing how i got there.

Suddenly, I heard someone knocking on the rock and with it came Toph's voice. It sounded like she just finished laughing. "That was _priceless_! Gosh, I can't believe you fell for that! So the punishment is... to stay in there as long as I want you to. Bye!"

**_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_**

I don't know how long I was in there, but I knew it had to be around sundown by now. And I was running out of air to breathe. There wasn't enough to make a light breeze, much less to get out of here. I was enclosed in a perfect cube, rock all around me. Then I got an idea. It was a long shot, but it might work.

I crossed my legs and stretched my arms, then planted my hands on either side of the cube. I concentrated, and in a moment, my whole body was shaking with the stored sound inside me. Concentrating even more, I focused the shaking into my arms. Pretty soon, my arms were vibrating so much that they looked like they were still. And seeing as my hands were on the rock around me, the vibrations were being transferred to the rock, making it crack and rumble.

Seconds passed, and I felt the rock starting to crumble under my hands. I concentrated even harder, and soon, slabs of rock started to fall. In a mere minute, I was free. Sheets of bedrock and stone littered the clearing, and I was covered with dust once again.

"Damn," I said, blowing out a sigh of relief. My whole body twitched uncontrollably for a second then stopped. "I'm glad that's over."

"Me too," said Toph right behind me. I didn't flinch, just turned around and bonked her on the head.

"Ow!" She tried to punch me, but I held her head, and she couldn't reach far enough to hit me. This continued for several minutes, with her failing each and every time.

"Next time, don't do that." I turned my back on her and started to walk away.

A pause. "Loki," Toph said. I continued to walk. "Loki, I'm sorry, alright? Is that good enough for you?"

I stopped, and my head turned slightly to face her. I smiled, a sincere one. "Yes."

I swear I heard a sigh of relief. Just then, Katara ran up to us. "Have you guys seen Sokka? He hasn't come back from getting _breakfast_. I think something happened to him."

Aang, who was meditating close by, turned around. "We'll find him, Katara. Don't worry." He then turned to Toph and I. "We'll split up. Toph, you go check that way," Aang said, pointing north. "Loki, you check the forest. I'll check the path leading out of the clearing."

We all nodded approval and set out to the area we were assigned. As I entered the forest, my senses went haywire. Something was up with this place, something familiar. Suddenly, a figure sped by on the edge of my vision. My nails automatically lengthened, and my eyes slitted. Shrouding my self in darkness, I became the color of the forest around me. I crouched down, bracing myself. The aura... it feels so damn _familiar_. Then I was hit.

The force of the impact drove me through the tree trunk I was behind. I hopped up, then almost immediately winced. Getting thrown through a tree isn't the most gentle thing. I don't know what hit me. All I remember is a searing hot flash of light... My eyes widened. That _distinctive_ flash. _Holy shit._

A Lightbender.

**_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_**

I was warned this time as the beam of light came towards my face. Sidestepping effortlessly, I sent a crescent of darkness to where the beam came from. I heard a startled grunt, and I knew I had hit my target.

"So... a Shadowbender," the voice said in contempt. "Your kind is disgusting, still hanging on to this world like vermin. You should have been wiped out with the rest of your kin." The person stepped out of the shadows, and he appeared to be a guy about my age. His silver hair came to his upper back, and his eyes were an icy blue. Lean and agile, like me. He was wearing a white and gold tunic with with silver shoes. I was shirtless and I had on baggy pants. _He_ looked like royalty... the kind I despise.

"As you should've," I replied back in a cold tone. "How are you here? Lightbenders _and _Shadowbenders should've died a long time ago." Then I paused. "In that case, how is Rinca here? She should've died."

The other guy groaned. "There's more of you? Damn, this day just keeps on getting better. Maybe you should ask them, you idiot." A blue fireball suddenly sprang up in the palm of his hand. "Huh. That's one more to incinerate."

My head tilted as I observed the flame. The only other person that I know of with blue fire was Azula. Then I reached a conclusion.

"You must be Granz, The Blue Flame." I grinned, showing my sharp teeth. "You know, I was supposed to assassinate you before our Nations were wiped out. Looks like now I have the chance."

He observed the color of my skin and my teeth. Once he caught a look at my eyes, though, his widened. "And you must be Loki, The White Shadow." His eyes narrowed. "Do you know how many important people in my nation were killed by you?"

I pondered for a moment, then replied with a smile, "One hundred and forty-six."

This got him mad, and he charged at me, the blue fire now completely enveloping his hand, which was poised to impale. It was then we began the dance.

He thrust his hand towards me, and I dodged, spinning around to punch him in his jaw. Granz bent backwards just enough for the attack to miss him. He switched tactics then, crouching down and sweeping my legs from under me. I landed hard on my back, but I leaped up quickly to avoid an axe kick coming my way. Pivoting, darkness coalesced around my fingertips and I slashed him across the chest, the shadow claws propelling him through a tree.

Granz recovered quickly, and he rpeatedly shot beams of light in my direction. Each one was scorching to the touch, and though I evaded most of them, some struck my torso and legs, forcing me down to one knee. But I wasn't done. I held my hands out, and a big, dense ball of water appeared in between them. I sucked in plenty of air, then blew outwards, making the wind into a helix (spiral funnel-like, for those that don't know). The helix impacted the water, and a giant, spiral torrent of it rushed at Granz, hitting him square in the chest. He was thrown through several trees before finally coming to a stop.

We both got to our feet, Granz staggering more than me. "Let's end this," he growled, and he rushed at me with amazing speed, blue lightning around his whole arm. I nodded in agreement, and stone arose around my right arm, making a devilish looking forearm. Then I charged towards him. Granz raised his arm, poised to slash downwards, as I did the same.

Time seemed to slow down as we reached each other, and without any warning, we both slashed at each other's chest. A big explosion occured when the lightning and the hardened stone collided.

When the dust cleared, we were standing just a couple feet apart, our right arms slick with blood. I looked down, and I saw that I had a shallow diagonal cut on my torso, where blood flowed freely. Looking at Granz, I saw that he had the same cut, just a bit deeper. In a couple of moments, there was a pool of blood below each of us. Suddenly, Granz backed up, limping and staggering, and started to retreat to the forest, which at this time was starting to burn, due to the heat of Granz's attacks.

"Why isn't your cut deeper?" he asked, his breathing ragged.

"Just a healthy coating of dirt I covered myself with." I forced a smile. "Nothing special, ya know?"

He paused, just staring at me. "I'll remember this, and don't think I'll forget you." Granz said. With that, he staggered off. I tried to go after him, but I dropped to my knees after I took about 10 steps. Lightbending hurts a Shadowbender much more than any other bending art and vice versa.

After what felt like hours, but in reality was only just a couple of minutes, I felt Toph running towards me. "Loki!" she yelled. She probably felt my heart rate slowing down. I couldn't call back and say that I would be fine. She sounded worried, and I suddenly felt ashamed that I had to put her through the trouble of finding me.

When she reached me, her dull eyes widened, and she immediately dropped down to inspect me. Toph ran her hands over my body, feeling the extent of my injuries. When she finished, she had a sad expression on her face, with a whole lot of worry. I didn't understand it.

"Come on," Toph said, a lone tear on her face. Her voice was soft. "Let's get you to the others." She offered her hand, but I stood up without any help.

I wiped the tear from Toph's face, and put my hand on her shoulder. Her eyes widened even more, and a light blush was shown on her face. "You haven't seen this before, have you?" I gestured at my wounds, and she nodded.

"I guess I'm just not used to it. It'll go away in a while. That I'm sure of." She shrugged my arm off and punched my arm. "So stop treating me like a little kid, alright?"

"But you are little-," I was silenced by Toph's glare, and I breathed out a sigh of relief. This was the Toph I knew. "Fine, let's go." We only took one step when we both heard a deafening roar. We looked at each other. "Sokka!" we said simultaneously.

We ran to the scene, and I was stunned by the sheer size of the animal Aang was facing. A sabertoothed moose-lion, and it was heading straight for him, fangs bared.

"Aang!" I called, getting him to face me. His eyes widened for a millisecond, then returned to normal. I've been worse, and he knows it. "Face it head on!"

"I can't!" he replied, sending the animal over his head with a gust of wind, only for it to turn and charge straight for him again. "I'm not an Earthbender!"

"Come on, Twinkle Toes!" Toph said angrily. "Just face it already!"

"Um, Aang?" Sokka said, finally talking. "It would be _really_ great if you could GET RID OF IT ALREADY! I am _not_ staying here, I can tell you that!" He continued his efforts in getting out of the giant crack he was stuck in.

Aang's eyes met mine, and I nodded my head slightly, encouraging him. Some things you need to experience for yourself without any help, and this was one of them.

He steeled his determination, and got into the stance that Toph taught him. He waited patiently for the beast to approach. I silently prayed for his safety, knowing that if this didn't work, there would be no second chance. But I discarded the thought immediately- he's the _Avatar_ for goodness' sake. This shouldn't be a problem.

And it wasn't. Aang brought up a decent-sized boulder, and pushed it with all the force he could muster. The rock smashed right into the beast's midsection, driving it a good distance away. Aang started to smile, which pretty soon turned into a full-blown happy fit.

"I did it!" he cried joyfully. "I can finally Earthbend! Did you guys see that? Did ya?"

Sokka, who was just dragged by his hair out of the ground by Toph, shook his head. "Dude, what are you _on_? Seriously..."

I covered my ears, my head ringing from the migraine Aang was giving me. "I don't know and I don't care. Just make him stop!" I turned to Toph. "Please silence him... quickly."

Toph grinned. "Gladly."

* * *

><p><em><strong>So, what did y'all think? Pretty good? So-so? Anyway, I want y'all to review, because it's seriously the highlight of my day... seriously. Next installment, <strong>_**Tales of the Desert**_**, is gonna come before the Monday after next, 'cause of school and all. Well, catch y'all on the flipside, and keep reading my stories (yes, I said **_**stories**_**). So, without further ado... peace!**_


	8. Desert Tales

_**What's up, y'all. It's Goldeath, back with another epic chapter for **_**The Shadowbender**_**! I'm sorry that I've been on hiatus for so long, but I've had so many ideas floating around in my head that it's like a f'ing hurricane up there. Thanks to**_** shadowrose6x _for helping me out in that regard. _**_**But**** anyway, I think this one is gonna be pretty long, so get ready, 'cause this chapter explains some stuff. It should've been longer, but I didn't want to keep ya waiting**_ **that _long (hehe)._****_ But it doesn't matter. _**_**Here's** **Desert Tales, people. **_

_**Welcome back.**_

_**Chapter 9: Desert Tales**_

"Alright," I said. "Why are we watching Aang raise gophers with his flute again? It ain't the most amazing thing in the world, guys!"

"This is my mini-vacation, Loki," Aang said, smiling. "It's good to do something relaxing, even if it's only for a little while. Don't worry, you'll have your turn."

"That's not what I- oh, forget it," I grumbled. Toph chuckled lightly, and I turned around to glare at her. As usual, she was unfazed as she continued to laugh. I growled. I was not in a good mood.

Aang turned to Katara after he was done with his damn gopher music. "Okay, Katara. Your turn to pick your mini-vacation." He pulled out the map and laid it on the prairie floor. Katara pondered for a moment, looking over the map with a careful eye. Finally, she paused and pointed to a symbol resembling a fountain of water.

"How about the Misty Palms Oasis." she said. "That sounds refreshing, and it's not too far from here."

Aang perked up. "Oh, yeah! I've been there! It's a pristine natural oasis, and since I usually don't use the word 'pristine', that means it's pretty-"

"Dead," I interrupted. Aang looked puzzled, and I blew out a long sigh. "Aang, you haven't been there in over a hundred years. It could have dried up by now."

"Come on, how much could it have changed?"

Ten minutes later, we stood at the entrance of the now run-down oasis. Dust and sand had settled like second skins on the shacks that were spread out across the area. Shady characters lurked everywhere, and in the center, where the giant fountain of water was supposed to be, there was a tiny mound of ice.

Toph shifted her feet a bit and blew out a huge sigh as she started to walk. "Nice choice, Sugar Queen. Nice choice."

Sokka and I chuckled as Katara fumed, but we followed Toph all the same. After looking around a bit, we saw a bar (oddly). It had no sign, and bandaged men were loitering around the entrance.

As we walked up, one of the men stopped us, and smirked at the others. He spat at our feet, as if daring us to get past him. And I was more than happy to oblige. I was next to him before he could even register that I was there, and, making a motion with my hand, the ground swallowed him whole. Toph and Sokka were laughing maniacally and Aang's face was one of pure shock.

"Loki!" Katara scolded. "Bring him up right now!"

I sighed, and (reluctantly) shot him out of the ground and about twenty feet into the air. He landed on a rooftop, which, due to the state it was in, immediately collapsed. Looking around quickly, I pushed the others inside, me following close behind. I was not paying for damage if I could help it.

As we entered the shack, Sokka frowned. "Hey," he asked. "What are we here for anyway? Can't we just move on to Ba Sing Se to get it over with?" It was then he saw the fruity drink on the table. His eyes traveled to the man behind the bar cutting up fruit, and he quickly connected the dots. Sokka started to grin. "But I guess a drink of that fruit stuff first wouldn't be too bad." With that, he rushed over to the bar and ordered six drinks, taking two for himself. Fat ass.

The rest of us sat down, waiting for Sokka's large order to be complete, but I couldn't help but feel like someone was watching us.

"Toph,do you-"

"Yeah, someone's watching us, but as you can see, I can't actually see him." She cracked a small smile.

The sides of my mouth twitched as I tried not to laugh. "Did you just try to make a pun?"

She grinned even wider, and I chuckled quietly to myself. A complete puzzle to me, yet so damn intriguing. That didn't happen often.

It wasn't before long before a man approached our table and sat down. He wore a hat on his head, and wore proffessor's garb as well, the type I've seen in Ba Sing Se 100 years ago, albeit a bit modified. He was dressed strangely for traveling in the desert, but I don't think I could talk.

"Well, my word," he said quietly to himself, looking at Aang. "It's an Air Nomad." He observed Aang closely, even running his hand across his head and measuring it. Sokka and I were just about to have another 'nigga moment' when we were stopped by Katara's menacing glare.

"Um, excuse me? May we help you?" she asked.

The man jumped as if startled, and turned towards the rest of us. "Oh, I'm sorry! So, so sorry! My name is Professor Zhang, Head of Anthropology at Ba Sing Se University. Now tell me, which of the Air Temples do you hail from?" He continued to scrutinize Aang. We were getting really close to that moment right about now.

"Uh, Southern Air Temple. Now could you please tell us what you want?" I could see that even Aang was getting a little ticked off now. Looks like even a... semi-pacifist has his limits.

"No, forget that," Sokka said, forgetting that he was on the verge of one of his moments. "You're a professor, right? Do you have a map on you?"

Zhang was a bit puzzled, but obliged. Pulling out a map, he handed Sokka a map, which he then spread out. He trailed his finger around and his mouth slowly dropped in surprise. "Are you telling me that there's no Fire Nation on this map? Why doesn't anybody have an accurate map?"

Katara leaned forward a bit. "It looks like you've taken a lot of trips through the desert, professor."

"Yes, I have. Finding lost civilizations, ancient artifacts- I've done it all. But I keep coming up short of the crown jewel- Wan Shi Tong's library.

"Wait, you spent years walking though that damned desert just to find some dude's library?" Toph and I said in unison.

"Look here, little lady." Toph's eye twitched at that. "I have traveled everywhere and let me tell you that the library and the information it holds is more valuable than anything else in the world. And I don't think I need to tell you that knowledge... is priceless."

I raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Yeah, sounds like good times."

"I think 'desperate times' is more like it," said Toph, shaking her head.

Then a memory came back to me, and my eyes turned completely black. No one seemed to notice as I was thrown bodily down memory lane.

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

_I was in the library, running for my life while Rinca, Scar, and Dhalia scooped up as many tomes as they could. Suddenly a black, winged form flew over us, its black eyes swiveling to look in our direction. It was Wan Shi Tong, He Who Knows 1000 Things, and he was going to _kill_ us if we didn't escape._

_"He's gaining on us!" Scar yelled, moving as fast as he could to avoid the great black owl that flew right behind him. I still didn't get that. What spirit in their right mind would turn into an _owl_ of all things? A cheetilla? Sure. A liger? Why not? But an _owl_? Hell no._

_I looked to my left and saw the exit, like the light at the end of that damned tunnel you can never get out of. "Put some more energy into it! We're almost there!" Our muscles stretched and contracted as we made a mad dash for the giant ornate doors. Dhalia jumped over a claw that grabbed for her leg, and Scar dived and rolled out of the way of the owl's sharp beak. With a final burst of speed, we made it out of the library. Scar brought up a rock wall to block the damned owl from getting out, and we all plopped down on the desert sand._

_"Tell me," Dhalia started, her sizeable chest heaving for air. "What... the hell... did we just do that for? I'm ready to go down fighting, not getting devoured by a giant owl!"_

_"Calm down, Dhalia." I pulled out a book and a map of the Light Nation. "This is what we came for. These books," I said, gesturing at the books in each of our bags "were just for us. I mean, come on Dhalia. _Aerialism and Acrobatics_?" I smiled. "Really?"_

_Rinca grinned as Scar started to chuckle. Dhalia rolled her eyes. "Fine, but I bet you that Scar took a picture of some nude woman or something."_

_Scar fumed. "For the last time, I don't do that!"_

_"Oh, so you run _that_ way now?"_

_Scar sighed and laid back. "Dhalia, one of these days, your gonna find yourself tied to a spit and I'm gonna be the one who's turning you over a fire."_

_Dhalia and I busted out laughing as Rinca shook her head. "You wish," she said. "But I don't think you want another scar on your face."_

"Loki! You okay?" Toph was leaning over me, a worried look etched onto her face. It now occured to me that she actually cared, if only a little , about what happens to me. I got up off the floor with Aang's help, and I sat down on my chair.

"I'm fine," I reassured her. "No need to get worried, you know." I looked around and saw that the others weren't convinced, not even the professor. "Hey! I'm fine, alright? Now where are we going next?"

"Sokka chose his vacation- the library," Aang said. "Looks like we're going there next, so get your stuff and let's get moving."

* * *

><p>In five minutes, we were flying on Appa over the desert sands. Zhang gave Sokka a picture of what the library was supposed to look like, and he pulled out a telescope to find it. My eyes sweeped the desert landscape, searching for even a glimmer of light on marble. You'd think that finding a giant library would be easy, but apparently it isn't.<p>

After what seemed like hours, Toph yelled out. "I see it!" she said excitedly. We all looked out into the desert, hoping to see the magnificent library. But all we saw was sand, and we glared at Toph with narrowed eyes.

"That's what it'll sound like when one of you spots it," she said, grinning. I snorted when she waved her hand in front of her eyes. At least her jokes were getting better. My eyes drifted back out of focus, but then I spotted something in the distance, an object that seemed like a tower.

I tapped Aang to get his attention. "Tell Appa to land over there," I said, pointing to the tower in the distance. He nodded, and Appa began to descend towards the sand.

When we slid off of Appa's saddle, we all looked up at the tall monument... well, excluding Toph. But something wasn't right, and Sokka checked the picture again. His brows were knitted together it concentration, trying to figure out what was wrong. Then it hit him.

"This isn't the whole library," he muttered. "It's buried underground, which is why we're only seeing the highest tower." He sighed. "Now how the hell are we supposed to get in?"

Aang looked up, and his eyes widened. "Hey there's a window up there," he said, pointing to the top of the tower. "We can get into the library that way!" Appa whined and took a step back, and Aang looked at him with sympathy. "It's alright, buddy. I'm never gonna take you underground again."

"Well I'm not going," Toph said, stepping back to Appa.

"What do you have against books?" Katara asked with a dab of irritation in her voice.

"I've held books, Katara, and let me tell ya, they don't exactly do it for me," she replied, eyebrow raised.

Katara blinked, and then blushed, a sheepish expression on her face. "Oh, right. Sorry about that."

"No problem. Call me if you find something I can listen to, 'kay?"

"Are you coming, Loki?" Aang asked, though I bet he already knew what my answer would be. I gave him a simple head shake, then hopped up on Appa.

Sokka wore a puzzled expression. "Why isn't he coming?"

"There's some bad blood between me and this library," I said. "I don't want to hinder you by creating a disturbance."

"But why would you-"

Aang put a hand on Sokka's shoulder. He shook his head, telling him to let the subject go. Sokka sighed, but relented. He took a hook rope from his bag and threw it up to the window. The hook caught on the window sill, and after a few experimental tugs, he started to climb. Pretty soon everyone was up there, but before they descended into the library, Aang turned back to us.

"Take care of Appa," he said. I nodded my head and made a shooing motion, telling him to go inside. Eventually, he went down as well, and it was just me, Toph, and Appa. There was a brief silence as Toph and Appa stared each other down. They looked away, then looked back at each other.

"So... what's up?"

* * *

><p>About two hours passed before I suddenly sat up, my breathing erratic. A deathly chill had come over me, and my insides felt numb. It was like turning into a block of ice from the inside out.<p>

And just as soon as it started, it was over. My breath came in ragged gasps, and my eyes trembled as they darted this way and that. That was a bad premonition, and whatever it was, it was gonna happen soon.

I was spared from waiting.

With a deafening roar, sand started to spiral in every direction, the grit efficiently rendering me blind within seconds. I heard Toph wake up, coughing and spitting out sand.

"Loki!" she called frantically. "Come down, I can't see you!"

I hopped down from my perch on Appa's saddle, but as soon as my feet touched the ground, I was blasted into the air, clipping the spire off of the tower. Landing on the other side with a barely discenable thump, I slowly got to my feet, my body straining to keep upright. Suddenly, vibrations shook the sand into a frenzy, and the library's sole tower started to sink into the depths of the desert. Within seconds, a quarter had already disappeared.

"Loki!" Toph called again.

"I'm fine," I said, my voice carrying a hint of strain. "But the library's sinking. The others are still inside, so you have to keep it above ground!"

"On it!" A sharp thud echoed even in the din created by the storm, and the library stopped going under.

I ran back to Appa, and for a second I was frozen in place. Half a dozen Sandbenders appeared out of nowhere and, after bracing themselves, threw weighted steel cables over Appa, pinning him to the ground.

"Aw, hell no!" Sand enveloped my hand as I went through a motion, and a second later, two Sandbenders fell to the crack of my whip.

"Let the bison go before I bury you forever!" I threatened. They didn't move, so I took the initiative and took a step towards them. "I'm giving you one last warning. Let... the bison... go. Now."

"Loki, I need a little help here!" The rumbling started up once again as Toph strained to keep it above the sand.

"I'm somewhat busy over-" Suddenly, my eyes turned black as my swarmed with memories. I felt myself being dragged down into the darkness and I fell to my knees as my legs went numb. "Crap! No, not now!" But a second later, I blacked out for the second time that day, and sand rained around me like raindrops as my whip collapsed on itself.

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

_I lay facedown on the cold earth, my body cold to the touch. My breath came out as steam as my eyes faded back to their original colors. To say I was disoriented was an understatement. Slowly, I lifted myself to my feet and looked around. _

_My friends were scattered all around me, unmoving but breathing. That changed when Scar's body spasmed, and he desperately gasped for air. His uniform was badly singed, but other than the fact that he was embedded in a stone wall, he seemed to be fine._

_Coughs wracked his body before he spoke. "Yo, Loki," he called, his voice surprisngly clear and strong. He planted his feet on the ground and with a great amount of force, he pulled himself out of the wall. "D'you know where we are?" _

_I gave the room we were in a once over. The room was devoid of almost anything of use, save for several beds and a large, circular wooden table. In addition, a wall was missing, probably because of our rough "landing" (if I should even call it that). Walking over to the jagged hole, I poked my head out into the open air, but there was nothing to see. Just... clouds. Then it hit me._

_"An Air Temple," I said, half to myself. "I never thought I would ever be in one."_

_"Nobody does, Loki, and you better shut up unless the next words coming out of your mouth are the ways to cure a migrane!" Dhalia shakily got to her feet, along with everyone else. "Now, can you please tell me what the hell is going on here?"_

_"Yes, I would like to know that as well." A man no older than twenty-five looked around the room. "If you take out the table, it could be our barracks. Including the hole in the wall of course. They always did give us the crapiest things." He sighed deeply._

_This man was Alistair, and although he looked young, sometimes you could see the wisdom of a century in his eyes. He was tall, but not outrageously so, and he was well muscled and lean. His uniform was damaged less so than the rest of ours, probably because he used Waterbending to escape the brunt of the explosion._

_And with that simple thought, it all came back to me- the War of Twilight, the ambush on our city._

_The complete annihilation of every Shadowbender and Lightbender and their nations._

_I was overwhelmed with emotion for a split second, then my face returned to its neutral expression. "Odd. I'll-"_

_"We have company," Rinca whispered, and her head tilted towards the door. We all looked, and there in the doorway stood an Air Nomad, who looke to be about twelve years old. Laugh lines around his eyes were prominent, and even now he seemed to have a bit of a smile. His blue arrow markings stood out in the dark._

_"Hello, who are you?" the boy asked._

Loki.

_"I'm Loki, and these are my friends," I answered. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have a few extra beds we could sleep in for the night, do ya?"_

_His eyes lit up. "Of course we do! Just let me check with Monk Gyatso!"_

_"Hey, kid!" Scar called. "What's your name?_

Loki! Loki!

_The boy smiled wider. "It's Aang."_

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

"Loki, wake up, dammit!" The yelling continued until my eyes were fully opened, my pupils dilating at the sudden sunlight. Wind lashed across my face and grit stung my eyes once again. We were on a boat of some sorts, that much I knew. But in a _desert_?

I sat up quickly, and immediately lied back down. "How long was I out this time?" I asked. It was then I saw the tears in everyone's eyes, and knowing something was wrong, I repeated the question, more forcefully this time.

Katara sniffled quietly. "A whole day."

"We thought we had lost you," Aang said, the fear evident in his voice. "I thought-"

"Wait." I looked around and my eyes widened. "Where's the professor? And... Appa?"

Toph looked down, as if in shame. "They're gone. Zhang is in the library deep below the ground and Appa... the Sandbenders took Appa."

Then I realized what they had been going through while I was out- Aang's grief for losing Appa, Toph's guilt over the same thing, Katara's exhaustion from trying to hold the team together. Even Sokka, who was now asleep on the deck of this so-called boat, was tense, his sleep uncomfortable and fitful.

I got up and immediately I was hugged by Toph. For a girl, she sure was strong. But then again, I've learned not to underestimate the female race a long, _long _time ago.

Holding her in my arms, I rocked back and forth, swaying to the motions of the boat. Katara eventually joined us and, after stopping the propulsion of the boat, Aang did, too.

And there we stayed, in the middle of the desert, together.


	9. Serpentine Bones

_**Goldeath again, and I'm back with another installment of **_**The Shadowbender**_**. Honestly, this chapter seems like a filler, something to move the story along. But then again, it's not what I think- it's what you think. So read, review and tell me what you think about the story. Now, without further ado, here's **_**Serpentine Bones**_**.**_

_**Chapter 9: Serpentine Bones**_

"So, where to now?" Aang asked.

We were all huddled around a map that Sokka had laid out on the ground. The desert was left behind a few hours ago, and we had just found a pristine oasis (ironically) to relax in. But, like always, break time was cut short by the need to move on.

"Well," Sokka started, his finger idly tracing circles on the slightly crinkled parchment. "Taking the long way around the river isn't an option, so the only other way to get to Ba Sing Se by land is this this sliver of land right here." He pointed to a brown line connecting the desert to the mainland, so narrow that it was barely discernable against the blue colorof the ocean. "It's called the Serpent's Pass."

"Gee, what a fantastic name for a bridge," I muttered.

"It;s better than nothing," Sokka replied. He rolled up the map, put it in its case, and stowed it in his bag. "Let's get going."

We had started to pack up our gear when suddenly my face went blank and I shivered slightly, my skin tingling. My eyes searched left and right, and, coming up without results, I sat down and slid into a meditative position. It was at that moment when my mind glowed with a sudden clarity that could only be described as ethereal. I smiled slightly. I was getting better at this.

"Something wrong, Bones?" Toph asked, her tone nonchalant with a hint of concern. "You seem a bit...dazed."

Opening my eyes, I stood up from my position and dusted myself off. "Refugees are approaching our camp," I replied simply.

A few seconds later, we heard the crunching of sandals on hard earth, and three people came into view. They were wearing worn, traditional Earth Kingdom garb, and the heavy bundles they were carrying on their backs seemed to be taking their toll.

"Hello fellow travelers!" the only man in the group said enthusiastically. Despite being a refugee, the guy seemed pretty happy.

Sokka seemed a tad suspiscious at that. "Hello. Where are you guys headed? This oasis is a bit off the beaten path, if you know what I mean."

If it was even possible, the man smiled even wider. "We are headed to Ba Sing Se. We're trying to get there before my wife Ying has her baby." He pointed to one of the women in the group, and she raised her hand in greeting. It was clear that she was pregnant.

"Great!" Katara said. "You can travel with us through the Serpent's Pass."

Ying gasped. "The Serpent's Pass? Only the really desperate tread that forsaken path."

"Ya hear that Sokka?" Toph punched him in his arm, and I needed to catch him before he faceplanted in the earth. "Great job picking the 'forsaken path'"

Sokka muttered his thanks to me and stood rubbing his arm. "Well, we are pretty desperate. Besides, what's so bad about it anyway?"

His question went unanswered. "You should come with us to the ferry docks of Fullmoon Bay," the man said. "It's just around that bend up ahead. The ferries take refugees to Ba Sing Se so they can start a new life."

I pretended to mull over the offer, stroking my chin thoughtfully. "Let's see... deadly pass or relatively safe ferry ride?" I turned to face the gang, smiling. "Anyone?"

Sokka frowned, but gave in. "Alright," he grumbled. "Lead the way."

We turned to go, but again I stopped as I felt another shiver crawl up my spine. But instead of being the tingling kind I had felt earlier, it was painful, like a thousand vulturewasps were tearing at my back. I knew what it was, but I didn't pay any mind to it. I didn't _want_ to pay any mind to it. It would pass... hopefully.

If not, I'll most likely die.

* * *

><p>What seemed to be the wall signaling a dead end cave parted to reveal a huge pier with three boats docked and one more coming in. It was filled to the brim with refugees, all wanting out of the Fire Nation-controlled portion of the Earth Kingdom and into the safety of Ba Sing Se.<p>

I think the harsh reality of the situation finally hit us then, when we saw hundreds of them living out of tents, sighing ruefully when they didn't have anything to feed their children, or when they sat motionless waiting for a number that might never be called.

"Damn," I whispered as we walked up to the ticket lady. "Things aren't as they originally seem when you open your eyes, are they?"

Aang sighed. "No, unfortunately. And Loki," He pulled me to the side as Toph pulled rank on the ticket lady stating that she was of the Bei Fong family. That was more than enough incentive for the crone to hand over five tickets without complaint. "Are you okay?"

I smiled slightly. "I'm fine. Why?"

"I saw you in pain back there... is it coming?" Aang's face was one of complete worry, and I knew exactly what he was worried about.

I brushed of his question with practiced ease. "I said I'm fine. Now let's just concentrate on Ba Sing Se, alright?" After a brief hesitation, Aang relented, and we rejoined the group.

"Hey," Sokka said. "We're ready to roll! Now-aagh!"

A hand grabbed Sokka's collar, effectively stopping him in his tracks. He whirled around to face an (admittedly) pretty girl with tied-back red hair wearing a guard uniform. She was angry, by the looks of it, like someone just pissed her off, but there was also something off about her. I decided to keep quiet.

"Ticket and passport, please," she said, holding her hand out impatiently. Now I was almost positive that she was about to slap our friend, who at the moment had a bewildered expression on his face.

Sokka took out the items she asked for. "Um, is there a problem?"

"Yeah, there is. It's you," she said, poking her finger at Sokka, threatening to skewer him. "I've seen your type before," she continued. "You're sarcastic, probably think you're hilarious, and let me guess, you're traveling with the Avatar."

Damn, she was good.

"Do I know you?" Sokka asked warily.

Surprisingly, she got on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek, effectively silencing everyone. Needless to say, my mouth dropped to the floor. Almost literally.

"I think you do," she said softly.

Suddenly, recognition dawned on Sokka's face, and it lit up with a huge grin. "Suki!" he nearly screamed, and everyone except for Toph and I exchanged hugs for what seemed like an eternity. It wasn't long before I started to get uncomfortable.

"Um, guys?" Toph said, waving her hands for emphasis. "Mind telling us what's going on here? 'Cause Loki's bound to explode with all the tension he has." I glared at her for that last comment.

"Oh, sorry!" Sokka facepalmed. "Loki, Toph, this is Suki."

There was definitely an awkward pause after that.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Toph asked.

"W-what?" Sokka seemed flustered for a moment. "No! Of course not!"

I looked at the both of them and snorted. "Liar."

* * *

><p>We sat in a guard tower as Suki explained how she got here. Apparently, she's the leader of the Kiyoshi Warriors... a.k.a badasses. As she explained to Toph and I, they were a group of female warriors fully dedicated to protecting their island, no matter what the cost. She and the other Warriors had escorted some refugees to the Bay and they've been here ever since.<p>

"So why are you taking the ferry, guys?" Suki asked us. "Wouldn't you just fly to Ba Sing Se on Appa?"

Everyone hung their head slightly. "Appa's gone," Katara said. "He was taken by Sandbenders while we were in the desert. That's why we're going to Ba SIng Se- to find him."

Suki gasped. "I'm really sorry to hear that." She turned to Aang, a worried expression on her face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Aang said firmly to all of us, so as to reinforce the fact. "What we need now is to focus on getting to Ba Sing Se, alright? So no more discussion about Appa."

"Hey, it's not like I'm gonna say anythi-ARGH!" My response was cut short by a quick elbow to the ribs, courtesy of Katara.

"Avatar Aang!" a voice shouted from below. We all peeked over the side of the tower to see the refugees we had just escorted here. "We need help! Somebody stole our bags! Our passports, our money- everything was in it, and now it's gone!"

"Hold on!" Aang yelled back. He leaped over the side of the tower and floated down to the refugees. "I'll see if I can help."

We watched as a he had a heated argument about the matter with the ticket lady a few moments later, with him waving his hands for emphasis and her standing her ground stubbornly. It would've been a funny sight if the stabbing pain I had felt earlier hadn't come back. I let out an involuntary gasp as the pain traveled to a new place- my arms. Now both my arms and my back felt like they were being torn apart. And, the scary thing is, I nearly saw my flesh and blood on the floor. And just as soon as it started, it stopped, and I staggered to one knee. Katara was by my side in a second.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

I swatted her hand away gently. "I'm fine, stop fussing." I got up and shook my head. "Just a little dizzy, that's all."

Toph snorted. "Bullshit," she muttered.

I glared at her and she stared back unflinchingly. We stayed like that for a full minute before I turned around, giving up. You could never win a staring contest with a blind girl. Never.

"Whatever," I muttered quietly. I wasn't in the mood to deal with her.

She looked surprised that I had given up so easily, but had discarded that instantly, not wanting to show concern. A moment later, Aang had climed back up the tower, facing us with a somber look.

Sokka sighed. "What's up _now_?"

"They can't get their tickets back, even though I tried my hardest." He exhaled deeply. "We're gonna have to take them through the Serpent's Pass if they ever want a chance to live in Ba Sing Se."

* * *

><p>All of us, refugees included, approached the entrance to the Serpent's Pass, a massive, thin, winding trail that cut through the ocean and ended in Ba Sing Se's outskirts. Its very aura felt foreboding, and I saw the refugees surpress a shiver of fear as they saw it. I could tell that this trip wasn't gonna be easy.<p>

Katara walked up the the gate signalling the start of the pass. Her fingers brushed over a message someone had etched into the rotting wood long ago. As she read it, her face turned somber.

"What does it say?" Toph asked.

Katara exhaled deeply. "It says 'Abandon all hope'"

The refugees gasped, and Ying clutched her husband's tunic desperately. "Abandon all hope?" she repeated. She started to tear up. "But that's all we have left! How are we supposed to go on without _hope_?"

Aang sighed. "The monks told us that hope was an illusion. Maybe it would be better if we just focused on what we were doing, which is getting across this pass."

"Aang's right." Everyone turned towards me as I spoke, probably because my voice had turned a bit gravelly, _hellish_ even. I knew my disease was the cause, but I could deal with it later. Hopefully before it got too severe. "Hope is just something to fall back on for comfort, but now it's holding us back from achieving our goal. If we're to do this, it has to be with a clear head, a'ight?"

Katara still looked uncertain, but conceded. "Okay, if you say so."

Aang nodded towards me in thanks, and I waved a hand, silently telling him not to worry about it. It was the least I could do.

Moments later, we began our tedious trip to the other side. As I looked past everyone's heads (I had taken up the rear), all I could see was the winding trail, a spine of rock jutting out of the choppy ocean. It seemed never-ending.

I hadn't taken another step before I had the sickening crack I was dreading, accompanied by an intense rush of pain. Looking over myself, I found the limb that had broken- my left shoulder. It was twisted into a subtle, yet painful position that I couldn't push it out of. Needle-thin seams had opened on my ivory skin, leaking rivulets of blood and bleaching the skin around it to a stark, snow white. I was sure Toph had heard that crack, but at least she had the tact not to say anything. The others probably thought it was just falling rock or something.

Speaking of which, Ying's husband had stepped on a bad piece of cliff when I was tending to my wounds. Wrapping my left shoulder in the excess cloth of my sleeve, I was just about to step in when Toph beat me to it. She made a ledge of rock jut out of the cliff face, allowing him to step back up to stable ground. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to celebrate the close call.

My eye was quick to notice a Fire Nation tanker on our side of the pass. As soon as the crumbling rock made a splash in the water, a flaming boulder was hurled towards us like a comet.

"Shit," Sokka cursed, looking out over the ocean. "They've spotted us! Run!"

The group was happy to oblige, and they rushed to safety (what little safety there is on a five foot wide, jagged pass) while Aang catapulted in the direction of the incoming projectile using Airbending. I preferred to stay where I was, not being able to perform acrobatics at the moment. As Aang destroyed the boulder, I fired continuous spheres of black energy at the tanker, pummeling and breaching the hull. Aided with a crescent of air from my friend, the tanker crumpled into the sea as scrap metal. Around the wreckage, I saw ant-sized people swimming away towards safety. Again, I ask: what safety?

I inhaled sharply as another crack made itself known, this time resonating from my ankle. "Yo, Aang!" I yelled, leaning against the cliff. "We need to make camp for the night!"

Aang landed in front of me with a puzzled expression. "Why?"

"It's starting."

* * *

><p>"Loki?" Katara asked. "Are you comfortable?"<p>

I smiled weakly, not moving from my prone position. "Yeah, I'm good." I made an opening in the dome of rock that would be my shelter (and my prison) tonight. "Now go, and no matter what you hear, do _not_ come in, alright?" I exhaled deeply, trying to move myself into a more comfortable position but failing miserably. "Tell the others the same."

Katara looked reluctant to leave, but she did in the end. The dome sealed again and I was plunged into darkness. I blinked once, and I could see clearer than I would in the daytime. Not being able to do anything else, I braced myself and waited for the change.

I didn't have to wait long. In about a minute, a sickening crack echoed in the dome, and my jaw unhinged from its fixed position. I grunted in pain as blood flowed out of my mouth like a river. My teeth grew longer, to the point where they looked out of place in a human mouth and looked more like they belonged in an animal's maw.

A silent scream came from my mouth as my ribs started to open up in pairs, one after the other. After that, all I could hear were cracks, splashes, and the occasional rips as my body broke and put itself back together. The pain came in rapid succession now, the breaks now happening almost simultaneously. My face was contorted into a groteque mask as I slammed the ground repeatedly with my fist, which, admittedly, only made me hurt more.

And as fast as it came, it stopped. I couldn't move, not that I would try to. I felt that I would kill myself by moving just one centimeter. So I didn't, and I waited. I waited for what seemed like hours in a state of painful limbo. It started to affect my head, driving me damn near insane.

Then, finally (but not fortunately), everything came back together, snapping back into place. All... at... once. It was like a giant hand slammed down and clicked all my pieces back into place. Believe me, the feeling was _far_ from pleasant.

"Aw, shit," I groaned, collapsing fully on the blood-drenched earth. "That was worse than I thought." I tried to move, and I gasped in pain, all of my strength having left me. The dome started to crumble and break around me, revealing my pitiful form. I was bleached snow white, in contrast to my former ivory skin, the seams that caused this nowhere to be seen. My teeth were sharper than ever, yet my black tounge glided over them without so much as a prick. I saw superthin lines, almost invisible, make my skin look like the scales of a serpent. I moved my head to see if anybody was awake.

No one was. Well, that's what I thought.

"Hey, Loki," came a shaky voice from behind me. I jumped, causing an earth-shattering jolt to travel up my body, effectively strangling any scream I would've voiced. This time, I turned my head slowly, and my mismatched eyes fell upon a shaken Toph, who was lying on her side staring right at me. Unconsciously, my eyes trailed over her body, taking in her perfect curves. True, it wasn't the time for that, but hey, this was probably the only time it would happen without me ending up with a broken jaw... again.

I asked the obious question. "Why aren't you asleep like everyone else?"

"I couldn't sleep." She paused, seemingly collecting her thoughts. "Not with you writhing in pain five feet away."

Motionless, I stared at her with a deadly seriousness. "Toph," I started. "What exactly did you hear?"

Then she did something I never thought possible. She teared up. "Everything."

I forced myself to my knees and shuffled over to her as best as I could, wrapping her in a hug before the tears truly started spilling. This was really not her, but I think if I put myself in her shoes, I would be cryin', too.

Toph grasped my bare back desperately, like I was going to leave. "...Don't you ever... _ever_... put me through that again. Do you hear me?"

"Obviously," I muttered. She pinched me, and I relented. "Alright, alright. I'll do my best, if that makes you any happier."

Toph took a sharp, short breath, finally calming down. "I thought I was gonna lose you," she said softly.

"I'm not that easy to lose, shorty." I squeezed her tight, feeling her drift off to sleep in my arms. "So i'm afraid you're stuck with me."

_**Was it good? In order to make up for the lack of action in this chapter and the long hiatus, there'll be two fights next chapter, which I promise won't be held off for three months. I hope y'all liked this, and please review, fave, and alert. **_

_**Goldeath out.**_


	10. The Great Breakthrough

_**Chapter 10: The Great Breakthrough**_

I awoke in the middle of the night, Toph curled up next to me. Trying to move without disturbing her, I unconsciously lifted her with my tail and set her down a few paces away-

Wait, _tail?!_

My head whipped around to find the foreign appendage, and there it was, lying idly on the ground right behind me. It was about five and a half feet long, half a foot in diameter at its thickest point, slightly flat and bone-white, deadly looking spikes protruding horizontally along the tail every half inch. It was tipped by a lethal arrowhead that spun like a drill when I concentrated on it. All in all, it was pretty damn awesome. Now if it could only retract...

As my mind started rambling, I drifted back off to sleep, my tail coiling around me as I curled up.

* * *

><p>We started for Ba Sing Se at dawn, making our way along the narrow trail once again. Aang and I were at the front of our group, while Toph and Katara took up the rear. My tail waved idly with the faint breeze, and I could feel the refugees freeze up as it passed close to them. Well, you can't please everybody.<p>

"We should arrive at the outskirts of the city in about half a day's time," Aang said to me. He looked back towards Ying. "Do you think that's enough time for her to get there before she has her baby?'

I cocked an eyebrow. "Have I ever had a baby?"

Aang frowned. "Not that I know of."

"Then do ya think that I would know how far along she is and if it's safe to continue traveling?"

"I... guess not."

I smiled. "_Well_ then." And that was the end of that.

We carried on with light conversation, which revolved around the sudden appearance of my tail most of the time. Surprisingly, the whole gang seemed to be cool with it- hell, Sokka was even brave enough to touch it (though I swear that if tails could glare, he would be curled up in the fetal position).

Presently, I turned my head to look at Toph. "Yo, midget!" I smiled at the tic that suddenly appeared on her forehead. "Do ya know how much longer we've got to walk?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know, you idiot?! I'm blind and, last time I checked, I'm not a fucking _psychic_!"

I wrinkled my nose playfully. "Damn, you have a foul mouth."

She smirked. "I learned from the best."

"Pfft, flattery won't- whoa, shit!" I leaped backwards several feet as my foot dipped into the shockingly cold ocean. "What the fuck?"

"That's water, Loki," Katara smiled. "It makes you wet, you can drink it, and guess what? Some people can even _bend_ it. How about that?"

I snorted, coming down off of my perch atop Sokka's head. "Ha ha. Sarcastic Katara makes a rare appearance." I shook my foot and tapped into my Seismic Sense, finding something interesting. "Weird…"

"What's wrong?" Sokka asked.

"There's no land after this point," Toph replied. "It's like a cliff- there's no way across unless we swim, and I know damn well that I'm not doing _that_."

"Well thank you for the unimportant explanation, _midget_, but, picking up where she so unceremoniously left off, Katara and I could create ice floes for us to use as stepping stones." I grinned at Toph. "Provided you guys don't slip off, we'll be fine."

"Shut up and do it then."

"_Okay,_ then. Katara, if you would be so kind." The Waterbender shrugged, eventually walking up to the edge of the path right alongside me.

"Everybody follow right behind us," Katara said, not turning around as she focused. "Hold somebody's hand, because it's going to be slippery."

"No shit…" This earned me a vicious slap on my arm, courtesy of the angry bender next to me. "Oww, geez. Joking aside, everybody ready?"

Our group nodded (not that we could see it), and Katara started to freeze a large portion of water. As soon as it was done, I leapt onto it to test its stability, and immediately started to create another floe as Katara led the others onto the first. We continued like that, alternating until I jumped onto the solid ground of the other side.

I turned to Katara as she led everyone off of the final ice floe. She was panting slightly from the exertion, and looked relieved to be done. Knowing her, she was probably worrying that someone would fall-

Shit.

"TOPH!"

I whipped around just as she slid off of the ice. Flailing her arms to regain balance, a sharp gasp escaped her as she fell. Unthinkingly, my tail snapped toward her, quicker than I thought possible, wrapping around the tiny frame just as it hit the water. It took a moment before I recovered from my shock, and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief as I started to bring her out.

Until something tugged at my tail.

There was no time to grab hold of anything as Toph and I were dragged into the water. I saw the sea start to roil before I went down, where I was so intent on freeing the both of us that there was no concentration in me for bending. It was when I noticed how clear it was underwater when I caught a glimpse of _it_. A flash of verdant green scales… then a set of razor-sharp teeth.

Double shit.

Is there any way my luck could suck more?

Believe it or not, yes. Yes there is.

A broad tail smacked into my face and I was sent flying for the second time in as many days. I shot out of the water like a bullet, but I wasn't gonna smack into something hard or clip off the top of the pass, oh no. That wasn't happening again if I could help it. It hurt enough the first time.

My tail coiled as it slammed into the side of the cliff, and I blasted towards the water. A fin had breached the choppy sea, signaling that whatever had hit me was serpentine. Then the thing reared its ugly head, and I found out firsthand how much of an understatement 'serpentine' was.

The sea serpent had to be about as long as a small town, the green scales glimmering in the bright sunlight. When it roared, I could get a good look at its maw and the giant deathtrap that lay within. It was scary, yes, as it was supposed to be. But now wasn't the time for being scared. That can always be saved for later. Or never.

I slipped into the water with a great splash, hurtling towards the depths where Toph was sinking, still and pale.

_No._ I drove deeper into the sea towards the person who was now my best friend. I grabbed her and held tight as I swam back to the surface, determined to not let her die.

I broke the surface of the sea pretty close to the side of the pass where our friends were waiting, and found that Aang and Katara were taking care of the giant serpent. That was fine, 'cause the only reason I'd turn away from saving Toph from death was to kill that serpent myself. But it was under control, so no worries there.

"Oh, come on. Don't you dare die on me now." I placed my hands on her stomach, bending the water up into her throat. She coughed weakly, trails of water and saliva running down the side of her cheek, and I breathed out another sigh of relief. She was okay.

As I repeated the process, she blinked her eyes open, and finally came back with a giant, hacking cough that sent water flying into my face.

"Okay, that was disgusting." I wiped my face with my sleeve, and then wiped it on her tunic. "Try not to do that again, alright?"

"Well I'm sorry for spitting up what was preventing me from breathing," she said, half moaning in pain. "Thanks, though."

"Mmhmm." I was still trying to get the spit and water off of my face.

Suddenly a giant crash was heard, closely followed by a splash. Aang and Katara glided toward us moments later.

"Is Toph alright?" Katara asked.

I snorted. "Ever the worrier, huh?"

"Loki…"

"Fine."

"I'm alright, Sugar Queen. Let's just keep going." She tried to get to her feet, but epically failed, falling backwards onto her butt. "On second thought, someone needs to carry me."

Sokka moved to do so, but I was faster, scooping her up with my tail and setting her on my back. "Better?" The others started laughing when I didn't hear an answer. Curious, I craned my neck to find her sound asleep, head resting softly on my shoulder. Her headband had disappeared when she went underwater, so her hair had fallen out of its bun and hung over my shoulder in loose disarray.

"Fine, then," I said, rolling my eyes. "Go to sleep." I wasn't really annoyed, though. It wasn't like she planned it.

The rest of the trek was slow going & uneventful, punctuated by short contractions on Ying's part. Therefore, it came as no surprise when we reached the other side of the bay in less than half an hour.

I set Toph down against a large rock, then proceeding to sit down myself. Heavens knows I never get a break.

"Ah!"

My point exactly.

"Damn it, what happened now?" I asked, irritated.

Ying cried out again, hunched over in pain. "The baby's coming! NOW!"

"Well, that's fucking fantastic!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Sokka!"

"Sorry, Suki…"

Katara breathed out a long sigh. "Focus, everybody. Sokka, I need you to go get me some warm water. Suki, I need you to help me deliver the baby."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Are you sure you know what you're doing, Katara? 'Cause you seem mighty calm right now."

"Of course I do," Katara replied, helping Ying to a large boulder. "Gran-Gran has asked me to help with live births plenty of times."

"There's a difference between getting water and actually _delivering_ the baby, you know."

Katara scowled. "I'm perfectly capable, Loki. Now can you wake Toph and tell her to come help?"

Now I scowled. "She needs to rest, and _I'm_ perfectly capable of doing anything she can." I stopped there, pondering for a moment. "Actually, make that _most_ of the things she can."

A brief smile graced Katara's lips before she returned her focus to the task at hand. "In that case, make an earth tent. A large one."

I scoffed. "Is that the best you think I can do? Please." I got into the horse stance and constructed a small square hut with a sloping roof for the birth to take place in. "You wound me." Though I was glad to help, that's where my involvement ended, and I retreated to the rock Toph was propped up on. There was no way I was seeing another birth for as long as I lived.

A groggy yawn sounded next to me as Toph awoke. "What did I miss, Bones?"

"The baby's about to be born."

She paused for a moment before shrugging with another yawn, turning her back to me. "Alright. Wake me up when something interesting happens, 'kay?"

I shrugged and waited a few minutes before pinching her ass, prompting her to yelp and slap me on my arm.

"Now _that_ was interesting."

"Shut up."

"In about ten minutes, we're gonna set off for the Walled City again," I said. "And I know damn well that I ain't carrying you anymore."

"You didn't have to pinch my ass to tell me that."

I smirked. "I know."

Toph slapped me again, this time making me wince in pain. She eventually got up though, but I think that that was because of the incessant crying now emanating from the earth hut.

"Sounds like the baby's out," I said, getting up.

"No shit, Mr. Obvious. Now come on. I wanna get a look at the baby."

"Of course, little girl." I rolled my eyes as I was lifted a couple feet off of the ground, my weight supported by my coiled tail. By swiftly straightening and coiling it, I hopped after my friend. "You want to look at the baby with your two, perfectly-functional eyes."

The petite Earthbender raised her hand to hit me again, but by that time, I was already in the air. "You know what I mean."

I couldn't help but respond again. "But I doubt that Ying is gonna put her baby on the ground just so you can see it, you know."

Toph smirked slightly. "You're a cheeky little bastard, you know that?"

"Well ain't that the kettle callin' the pot black."

She chuckled aloud at that, a sudden change from her usual demeanor. I would've commented on that as well if I hadn't nearly bounded into the top of the hut's doorway. Stopping just in time, I stepped back on solid ground & slipped in after Toph.

The infant's wailing had turned into a low coo, the sound reverberating off of the earthen walls. It looked like a girl, and a very content one at that. Toph seemed to notice, too, but how she did was beyond me.

"She sounds healthy," she said. "And somehow… squishy."

Suki, Katara, and I gave Toph an odd look. After a long silence, all three of us finally said: "What?"

Sokka took a quick peek at the baby, who looked back at him with wide, hazel eyes. "I agree with Toph on this one, guys. She definitely looks squishy."

I quirked an eyebrow, something I seemed to be doing a lot these days. "How- you know what? Forget I even _attempted_ to ask." I turned to the doorway, outside of which Aang was standing guard, a depressed look on his face. I exited the hut and tapped him on the shoulder. "Go on, kid. I think you might want to see that."

He nodded sullenly without any verbal response and walked into the hut.

Sighing, I stretched out the kinks in my back. Aang's depression is getting to me. If he doesn't snap out of it soon, I swear to high heaven that I gonna straighten him out myself.

"Alright, time to go." I peeked into the hut. "I'm off to Ba Sing Se. Anyone care to join me? No? Well, then." Before they could respond, I was speeding down the desert path, my bones rearranging themselves to allow me to run on all fours. I was faster this way, and it was by far much more fun than running on two feet.

A few minutes passed before I could see the Wall. I stopped for a moment to gaze at the stone wonder, then continuing on my run across the barren wasteland that led to the city. I looked off into the distance to see a huge dust cloud, but I paid it no mind seeing as I ran headfirst into the wall right after spotting it.

Dazed, I sat up to get a proper look at the cloud. Though, it was still blurry since I _had_ just nearly concussed myself. Shaking my head quickly, I lengthened my nails slightly and began the run up the wall. It was slow-going, and the wall seemed like it reached up into the heavens, but I eventually made it to the top.

And the sight that greeted my eyes when I reached the top rocked me to my core.

* * *

><p>I looked over the wasteland to see Aang and the others traveling towards the wall on a rock platform. I waved my arms rapidly, nonverbally telling them to hurry. It was a few minutes before their platform reached the wall, and I helped Toph raise the platform along the wall using our Earthbending.<p>

"Look to your right!" I yelled down to them. "There's something you gotta see!"

They followed my instructions and looked, spotting the problem that I had presented. It was a huge drill, segmented into four parts, and it was traveling towards the Outer Wall at a slow but steady pace. It was flanked by around ten tankers. And the worst part? It was Fire Nation.

When the others got up to the top, I saw the dismay on their faces. "Even here we aren't safe from the Fire Nation!" Ying said, her face one of extreme sadness. "What will this mean for our child?"

"Your child will be fine, Ying." Everyone turned to Sokka as he spoke up. "Loki, you need to-"

"What are you doing up here?" said a voice. Two guards had approached us without our knowledge. "Citizens aren't supposed to be on top of the wall."

"Oh, I was just leaving," I replied, promptly turning around and running to the edge of the wall. "And Toph, ya need a new headband. You look like a little devil."

I could almost _hear_ the tic. "I'll show you a devil, you asshole!" she screamed. But fortunately, she didn't get to follow up on that particular threat as I was already gone over the side.

The ground came towards me at breakneck speed, and I literally hit it running. I sprinted towards the drill my excitement getting a hold of me. I suddenly felt a light weight on my head and I let my hand wander up to feel what it was. Trying to tug it off was met with resistance, but it eventually yielded, and a sharp pain shot through my skull. I didn't stop running though- I was almost there. I brought down my hand to see what I held.

It was a helm… well, a skull made to fit like a helm. And what's more, it was the skull of the saber-toothed tiger, one of the very, _very_ few pure animals. Only found in the wilderness of the Shadow Islands. The eyes bore into my soul, hollow, and the fangs would go on either side of my face down to chin length if I chose to wear it. _If._

'Cause this was what I wore _back then_.

I decided to wear it right before I nearly ran headfirst (once again) into the drill, narrowly avoiding it by springing right over the side, and good thing, too. A boulder, and I mean a _huge_ fucking boulder, had lodged itself in the earth where I had stood not a moment ago. But I had no time to find out where it came from because I had landed on the other side of the drill where yet another surprise awaited me.

And this one was scarier than the last.

"Hello, Shadowbender," said Granz.

Damn it all to the deepest pits of the spirit world.

"What are you doing here, Granz?" I asked, more than a little perturbed.

The Lightbender sniffed, glaring at me with reproachful eyes. But they had something else glinting in them now. Respect. "After our battle, Azula found me. In exchange for my help in securing their rightful position as ruler of all of the nations, I would be granted full access to their resources and the honor of catching and executing you myself."

I snorted. "You _do_ remember who won our fight, right? I doubt you'll be catching me anytime soon, much less execute me."

"I'll make you eat those words, Loki." Granz slid into the starting position for the Dragon Fist. I'm not surprised.

"Oh, we're on a first name basis now?" I slid into my own stance, Liger Fist. It's been a long time since I've done it because I use Demon Palm most of the time. "Cute."

Fire enveloped his fists and feet, something that seems to be a prerequisite for his particular brand of fighting, and he rushed towards me, arm poised to impale yet again.

I quickly sidestepped the flaming thrust and kneed him in the ribs, something that should've broken them due to the way I utilize my style. But he just rolled with the impact, twisting and driving his knuckles into my jaw with brutal force.

My head barely moved as I tasted blood, and I winced as I felt the burn the fire had caused. He was a couple feet away from me now, ready to deal another blow. I thought for a second, and then lashed out with a diagonal palm strike to the cheek. Granz' head snapped up, and I used the opportunity to deal a shattering blow to his ribs. I felt one crack under the force of the punch.

He grunted in pain and tried to land a haymaker, but I batted it aside and twisted into range, slamming my elbow into his sternum. Then, twisting again, I elbowed him again in the crook of his neck, sending him staggering sideways.

Granz spat out a glob of blood as he turned to face me once more. "You've gotten better."

I smirked. "Can't say the same for you."

"I'm sure." He spat a _pure white fireball_ at my face, rushing me once again. I dispelled the fireball, burning the sleeves of my clothes, the same ones I wore when I beat Toph in Earth Rumble 6. A quick slash sliced ripped a gash in my tunic and my chest, and suddenly I was sprawled on the dry earth, sent flying by a flaming roundhouse kick. I jumped up instantly, and, with the aid of Airbending, quickly sliced an 'L' onto his chest out of sheer spite. Blood poured out of the wound like a fountain.

Granz retaliated quicker than I thought possible, hooking his leg behind mine and flinging me by my arm into the drill. The machine hissed out steam as it inched forward, followed by a shattering crash as it hit something. The steam obscured my vision for a moment before I rolled out of the way of Granz' axe kick. It made a crater where I had been not a second before. I suddenly realized just how close I was to being completely _done_.

I lashed out again, twice this time, my nails slicing into his cheek and up along his arm. My opponent flipped backwards out of range before I could hit him again, and a moment later, he sliced downwards with his arm, a crescent of fire blazing a trail towards me. I raised my arms to block, my Bone Skin making a shield that made the fire dissipate harmlessly. Granz kept sending 'em though, each one hotter than the last until finally, I heard a crunch as his heel impacted my bone shield, smashing right through its center and catching me right in the chest.

He went to kick me again, the adrenaline pumping through his veins making his flame burn white-hot instead of blue. I brought up a rock wall to block the incoming attack, simultaneously leaping backwards out of range in order to catch my breath. I was able to concentrate for one second before he came at me again.

I ducked under his right arm and twisted it back brutally, eliciting nothing more than a grunt from Granz. My fist slammed into his spine in rapid-fire succession until I heard a subtle crack. He whipped his free arm back to clip me in the head, but ended up only hitting my saber-toothed helm, which made him wince sharply. Ignoring his pain, he then ducked under and twisted his arm back into its rightful position. He grabbed me by what was left of my collar and, with a surprising amount of strength, flung me over his shoulder. I landed hard on my right shoulder, but rolled back up to face him again. Just a little bit closer now…

Granz suddenly tensed, and I could see him shiver slightly. "Loki…"

"Yes?" I replied. My eyes were lidded from exhaustion and a smile was creeping its way onto my face.

"Where is your shadow?"

"It's right behind you."

Granz whirled around, but it was too late as my obsidian-black shadow smashed his face with its heel, sending him crumpling to the ground, blood leaking out of his mouth. My shadow looked at me with a proud smile. I smiled back. It looked exactly like me.

I had it dissipate and it returned to its rightful place on the ground. At this point, I turned my attention back to Granz. He had gotten to one knee at least, and looked up at me with blood running off of his eyelids. "How are you still standing?" he asked hoarsely.

"Believe me," I said. "It's taking all of my concentration to talk and stand at the same time." Any other retort I had was cut short by an enormous shockwave that rolled across the wasteland, propelling Granz and I back several feet. The drill abruptly stopped hissing and grinding and came to a complete stop, sludge blasting its way out of every nook and cranny and flooding the entirety of the land. The blood and the sludge mixed to make a very sickly, off-pink color that nearly made me scrunch my nose up in disgust. Yup, this was definitely Aang's doing.

Granz got to his feet faster than I did. I tried to look at him, but the sun was blinding even in sunset, its rays preventing me from seeing him. When I was able to see again, Granz was gone.

"Huh." I took off my tattered tunic and wiped up my upper body and face. In a few moments, it was free of sludge, and I draped the unusable cloth over my shoulder. My wounds and burns started to bleed again, and I winced slightly as I started towards the back of the drill. I had no energy to jump over the top.

Once at the back, I spotted Katara, Toph, and Sokka. They were all drenched in gunk, but they seemed okay for the most part.

"Loki!" Once they had spotted me, they ran over. "What happened to you?" they all asked simultaneously.

"A Lightbender happened, that's what. And Katara, if I hear one thing from you that even remotely sounds like 'I need to get you fixed up', I'm gonna slap you in the face."

She pouted indignantly. "Well, excuse me for caring!"

"You're excused."

Katara huffed and began walking to the Outer Wall, Sokka in tow. I felt a light punch on my shoulder and winced, turning to the source.

"You okay?" asked Toph.

"Of course. No worrying from you, I see. Unlike last time."

She smiled. "I know you can handle yourself."

I laughed aloud at that. "Thank you, but I nearly got my ass whipped."

"Then maybe you're not as good as you say you are," she said, gently touching the burn on my face.

I tousled her hair; unusually straight when out of its bun. "I beg to differ, little girl. I beg to differ. Now, come on. This sludge is disgusting."


End file.
